Kayla Harrison wants official backup role for Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena title clash at UFC 307: "Mommy is coming home"
Kayla Harrison recently weighed in on Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena being announced for UFC 307 and expressed interest in serving as the backup if one of them withdraws from the contest. The former PFL lightweight champion is looking to add another championship to her resume, but will have to wait a little longer.
Despite expressing interest in serving as the official backup for Pennington vs. Pena, the two-time Olympic gold medalist accepted a bout against Ketlen Vieira at the same event. The timing is logical as it ensures that she is remaining active and gives her an opportunity to continue her push for a title shot.
While speaking to MMA Junkie, the 34-year-old explained why she wasn't offered a women's bantamweight title shot at UFC 307. Harrison said:
"I wanted to fight for the belt, but it was promised that the next shot was to Julianna [Pena], so she gets the next shot for now, unless one of them gets hurt or sick, mommy is coming home...Two hours notice, one-hour notice, 20-minutes notice." [H/T MMA Junkie]
Check out Dana White's announcement for UFC 307 featuring Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira below:
Kayla Harrison promises a dominant performance against Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307
In addition to expressing interest in serving as the backup for Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena, Kayla Harrison promised a dominant performance against Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307.
During the aforementioned interview, Harrison mentioned that she is a much better fighter than Vieira and promised to prove that she is in a league of her own in the women's bantamweight division. She said:
"I think Ketlen [Vieira] is good, but I'm at a different level from all of them...I'm going to go out on Oct. 5 and prove that I'm at a different level and prove that Ketlen and the two girls [Pennington and Pena] who are fighting [for the title] look ridiculous and then everyone is going to know it's time for Kayla to get her belt."
Check out the tweet reporting Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira for UFC 307 below: