Kayla Harrison unsure in her Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena prediction
Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena are at one win apiece after their back-to-back outings, and the outcome of each fight was completely different from the other. As they prepare to collide for their trilogy bout later this year, Kayla Harrison has given her views on how she expects the fight to play out and who she believes will win.
The Olympic gold medalist was considered among the greatest of all time in women's MMA until she suffered her first defeat in the PFL cage last time out. The Judo specialist has essentially rag-dolled her way to success but came up short on the judges' scorecards last time out in her third career fight with Larissa Pacheco.
During a recent interview, Kayla Harrison shared her thoughts on the upcoming Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Pena bantamweight title brawl and heaped praise on both women ahead of the bout.
"I'm not training with Amanda anymore, so I don't have insider info on how that's gonna go. As I know all too well, anything can happen in a fight, that's why we put them on, anything can happen. I truly believe that Amanda is in a different class, she's well-rounded, she's extremely talented, she's got the experience now. I think that she's in a different class, so I expect her to win, but who knows? Julianna's a dog. She doesn't give up, she doesn't quit, she's disciplined it seems, and I think that she wanted that fight... I respect her a ton and I'm excited, I'm looking forward to it."
Kayla Harrison has been angling for a potential fight against Amanda Nunes for a while now. Many thought that could have happened if she had signed with the UFC prior to extending her deal with the PFL.
Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena: When will the pair compete in their trilogy bout?
After a shock submission loss at UFC 269, Amanda Nunes recaptured her women's bantamweight gold in a one-sided fight last time out, but when will the trilogy take place?
As things stand, 'The Lioness' will put her throne on the line once again in the UFC 289 headliner on June 10. This will be the second time the two have been the main event on a card for the promotion following their recent war at UFC 277.
Alongside the trilogy, a title eliminator between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, a striking showcase between Stephen Thompson and Michel Pereira, and a fight-of-the-year contender between Dan Ige and Nate Landwehr will be on show.