Is Julianna Pena right about Kayla Harrison being a weight bully? Breaking it down
Julianna Pena will defend her bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison in what might be the most heated women’s title fight in years. It’s Pena’s first title defense since recapturing gold with a gritty split decision win over Raquel Pennington in October.
But ahead of the co-main event clash at UFC 316, the psychological warfare has taken center stage. Pena has been questioning the legitimacy of her opponent’s career and the fairness of the contest itself.
So let's explore the truth behind Pena's accusations that Harrison is a weight bully:
Julianna Pena labels Kayla Harrison a "weight bully"
Julianna Pena has been relentless with her attacks on Kayla Harrison. She has framed her as both an alleged steroid cheat and a weight bully. According to Pena, the transformation in Harrison’s physique since her Olympic judo days is suspicious.
She’s not directly accusing her of current PED use, but suggesting that such a change doesn’t happen from just training. The underlying implication is that Harrison built her current frame with help and is now using it to dominate in a lighter weight class.
This claim, however, deserves some scrutiny. So let's explore the truth behind it. Harrison has never failed a drug test, with multiple clean results in 2024 and several tests in 2025 already. She’s been subject to testing protocols since her early teens, having competed at the top level in judo since childhood.
As for the “weight bully” narrative, Harrison dropped from 155 pounds in PFL to make 135 in the UFC. She has never missed weight, despite cutting 20 pounds more than she used to.
So far, Harrison has simply done what any elite athlete would do, and that is maximize opportunity. With the UFC closing the doors on the women's featherweight division, fighting at 135 pounds is the only choice Harrison has.
Kayla Harrison is unfazed by Julianna Pena's accusations
Kayla Harrison hasn’t taken any of Julianna Pena’s accusations personally, it seems. She interprets Pena’s jabs as alleged insecurity and fear.
The steroid claims don’t faze her either, especially given her drug-testing history. From early judo competitions through the Olympics and her pro MMA run, Harrison has been regularly tested by multiple agencies.
She points out how seriously she’s always taken clean competition, even joking that she was afraid to take Flintstone vitamins as a kid. Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Fighting, she said:
"It’s just like she’s kind of always throwing spaghetti at the wall. Before I signed with UFC it was like, ‘Well, if she wants to be in a real promotion, she has to make a real weight and 135 is where it’s at,’ and so then I signed with the UFC and I cut down to 135 pounds, and now I’m a weight bully, but that’s the only weight class they have. It’s not my choice, and the steroids thing is just like, again, it’s funny to me."
Harrison added:
"I’ve never taken steroids. I got drug tested for the first time when I was in middle school because that was when I was in the top five on the national roster for judo. And so that’s when the U.S. sort of started testing, and I’ve been tested... I mean, I’ve been tested probably more than any athlete in the UFC. One time, I got tested 4 times in a month, between WADA, the tournaments I went to, and I competed at, I got tested there, and then I got tested when I got home. So she can say whatever she wants, but I know I’m clean, and again, I work really, really f*cking hard."
Check out Kayla Harrison's comments below (4:40):