'She's the lesser of the training partners for Amanda' - Julianna Pena says Kayla Harrison has been 'fighting in the B leagues'
Julianna Pena shocked the world with a submission win over Amanda Nunes in the co-main event at UFC 269 this past weekend. 'The Venezuelan Vixen' submitted the Brazilian via rear-naked choke to be crowned the new UFC women's bantamweight champion.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Julianna Pena was asked if she would be interested in a matchup against Kayla Harrison, Nunes' training partner at American Top Team. Pena dismissed the idea as she believes that Harrison is the "lesser of" Nunes' training partners.
Julianna Pena also isn't considering a matchup with Kayla Harrison because she believes the judoka is still competing in the "B leagues". According to the 135-pound UFC titleholder, a rematch against Nunes is likely to be her next course of action.
"I think that she [Kayla Harrison] is the lesser of the training partner for Amanda Nunes. So if that's the case and I just took out Amanda, I don't really know what kind of a position that would put her in. But she's been fighting in the B leagues, you know. And I'm fighting in the UFC, I'm fighting at the top of the division, I'm fighting in the biggest league of the sport, you know. So I don't really pay too much attention to what she's doing down there. But right now, if I'm going to talk about matchups, Amanda is the only matchup I think that makes sense for me and giving her that rematch."
Watch Julianna Pena's interview with MMA Junkie below:
Julianna Pena on her victory over Amanda Nunes
According to some betting books, Julianna Pena came in as a +650 underdog against Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. 'The Venezuelan Vixen' went on to choke Nunes out in what is arguably the greatest upset in UFC history.
Julianna Pena recently weighed in on her upset victory over Nunes. According to Pena, 'The Lioness' isn't comfortable when put up against adversity. Pena told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour:
"She’s a fighter that doesn’t do well when she’s fighting against adversity. When she’s the bully and she’s the pressure, she’s great – girls fold, they crumple. But when she is being bullied and when she is being pressured, that’s what she can’t handle and that’s what I knew was the case. You saw that when she was fighting Cat Zingano; Cat Zingano broke her and I think maybe in Invicta I saw somebody else break her, too."
Watch Julianna Pena's appearance on The MMA Hour below: