Kayla Harrison compliments Julianna Pena despite animosity: "She has no quit in her"
Kayla Harrison recently complimented reigning bantamweight champion Julianna Pena despite the fact that the two have not seen eye-to-eye in the past. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is next in line for a title shot and has already traded jibes with the former 'TUF' winner prior to and after UFC 307, which was when Pena defeated Raquel Pennington to capture the title.
The former PFL star has not shied away from sharing her opinions on 'The Venezuelan Vixen,' especially after it was evident that they would be fighting each other next. Pena dismissed Harrison's performance against Ketlen Vieira, while the judoka clapped back by insinuating that the bantamweight champion was trying to avoid fighting her.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the former PFL lightweight champion surprisingly complimented 'The Venezuelan Vixen' on her fighting style. Harrison mentioned that Pena is a durable and resilient fighter who never gives up regardless of the circumstances, but added that she is still annoyed by her:
"That's why I do respect Julianna [Pena] because when she gets in the cage, she fights like, she has no quit in her. And that's the only saving grace she has in my mind...She's fu**ing annoying, she talks a lot. She does make some decent points but I just for whatever reason, she rubs me the wrong way, but she fights. Like, she just has this andominal will, she doesn't quit and I respect that because that's me." [15:20 - 15:57]
Check out the full interview with Kayla Harrison below:
Kayla Harrison responds to PFL tweeting video of her loss on the day of UFC 307
In addition to complimenting Julianna Pena, Kayla Harrison responded to the PFL's decision to tweet a video of her loss to Larissa Pacheco on the same day UFC 307 took place.
During the aforementioned episode, Harrison dimissed the notion that she harbored any ill will towards the PFL for their post. She said:
"I forgot that [PFL] were having these big fights because I have not seen any promotional stuff. And for the record, I'm 2-1 against Larissa [Pacheco]...I think she's a great fighter and that's in my past...I'm not gonna go low...talk sh*t about them...air all the laundry I could air about how they handle certain things and the way they have treated fighters because I know that the truth will come out." [21:00 - 21:48]
Check out the PFL's tweet featuring Kayla Harrison's loss to Larissa Pacheco below: