Kayla Harrison realized her championship aspirations on Saturday night at UFC 316, delivering a completely one-sided performance that culminated in a submission victory over Julianna Peña to claim the title.
From their initial exchange, it was clear Harrison held a significant physical advantage. She effectively closed the distance, securing takedowns to bring Peña to the mat. A second takedown in the subsequent round allowed Harrison to advance her position, transitioning from an attempted arm-triangle choke before locking in a tight kimura.
As Harrison applied pressure to the submission, Peña tapped out almost immediately, prioritizing her safety over resisting the Olympic gold medalist`s dominant hold. Following the fight, Harrison and Peña shared a moment of mutual respect, exchanging words before the new champion was officially recognized.
“We prayed for each other,” Harrison commented on their post-fight interaction. “It’s not personal. We’re here to fight, this is a business. I love what I do. I’m grateful that I had a great fighter like Julianna to bring out a better version of me.”
Her victory celebration was quickly followed by a highly anticipated confrontation. Harrison turned her attention to former champion Amanda Nunes, who was observing the action from cageside. Harrison called Nunes into the Octagon, creating a compelling face-off between the former teammates turned potential rivals.
“Amanda, I see you Amanda. Come on up, Amanda!” Harrison declared, addressing Nunes directly. “This is the next fight.”
Nunes entered the cage, shaking hands with Harrison and indicating that she had long anticipated this potential clash since their time training together at American Top Team in Florida.
“Yes, definitely [I’m coming back],” Nunes confirmed. “We knew this was going to happen. Now we’re going to do it.”
The path to potentially facing Nunes required Harrison to first overcome Peña, a challenge she met with decisive action.
Harrison initiated the fight with striking, using it to set up the clinch. She pushed Peña against the fence, working to establish her grappling dominance. Harrison secured a body lock and utilized a slick inside trip to forcefully take Peña down to the canvas.
On the ground, Peña managed to secure a full guard, with Harrison applying heavy top pressure, leveraging her superior size and strength. Harrison landed an inside elbow, which Peña answered with two illegal upkicks. This prompted referee Vitor Ribeiro to briefly pause the bout.
Ribeiro subsequently penalized Peña a point for the illegal strikes before the fight resumed on the feet.
Harrison once again used striking to manage the distance before persistently pursuing more takedowns. Despite Peña`s defensive efforts, Harrison`s pressure was relentless, successfully bringing the fight back to the ground.
From her position on top, Harrison aimed to inflict damage and advance her position for a potential submission. She physically controlled Peña on the mat, attempting an arm-triangle choke that was blocked by the cage.
This obstruction led Harrison to transition quickly to a kimura. She immediately twisted Peña`s arm behind her back, forcing the tapout with just moments remaining in the round. The fight was officially stopped at 4:55 of the second round.
It was a comprehensive and dominant performance for Harrison, who dispatched Peña effectively and now appears poised for what could be the biggest fight in the history of women`s mixed martial arts, pending Amanda Nunes` official return to the UFC.
