Kayla Harrison laughed off Julianna Pena‘s callout of retired fighter Amanda Nunes, emphasizing her focus on winning the UFC title and potentially fighting Pena, while acknowledging that a showdown with Nunes is not feasible as she remains retired.
Kayla Harrison chuckled at Julianna Pena’s reasoning for calling out Amanda Nunes post-fight. Pena claimed she did it because no one else was stepping up.
After her disputed victory over Raquel Pennington to reclaim the bantamweight title, Pena skipped over Harrison—who was backstage—and instead requested a trilogy with Nunes, retired since 2023. At the press conference, Pena justified her callout, saying, “Kayla never mentioned her name,” implying others in the division hadn’t either.
Harrison, however, has discussed fighting Nunes multiple times in the past. They trained together at American Top Team for years. But that’s not her focus right now.
“I’m not going to call Amanda out,” Harrison told MMA Fighting. “Not until I have the title.” She plans to build the biggest fight in women’s MMA history once she’s champion. Until then, it’s all about securing that belt first.
The path to the title runs through a fight with Pena. Harrison knows this well. She also recognizes that Nunes is still retired, which complicates any potential showdown.
Nunes has hinted at a return since UFC 307 wrapped up, but nothing official yet. Even if she announces a comeback, she’d need six months of drug testing under UFC’s anti-doping rules first.
Harrison doesn’t want to waste energy on a matchup that’s not happening anytime soon against someone not even active on the roster. “It just makes me look like an asshole eventually,” Harrison admitted. When people ask if she wants to fight Amanda, she feels caught in an awkward spot.
“It’s not personal for me,” Harrison clarified. She respects Nunes immensely and sees no higher honor than wanting what Nunes has achieved in MMA. If a young fighter walked into American Top Team and said they’d beat her someday, she’d welcome that challenge with open arms. That’s the energy she thrives on.
For now, though, Harrison’s focus is solely on the UFC title and facing Pena next. Despite some bumps from her recent win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307, she’s ready for what’s ahead—hoping Pena doesn’t take another long break after her hiatus before fighting Pennington.
“I’m not waiting two years,” Harrison stated firmly. While she needs a bit of recovery time from weight cuts—losing half of herself each time—she’s prepared to make herself ready whenever necessary.