Kayla Harrison is ready for a shot at the UFC women’s bantamweight title. But UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena may not be ready for her.
That’s the message we’re hearing from Harrison’s agent Ali Abdelaziz, who suggested the UFC is on the verge of announcing an interim title shot for Kayla if Julianna isn’t able to compete soon.
“This is what I have been told,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “Julianna Pena, if she’s not ready to fight Kayla — she might have some health problems – it’s going to be an interim title. One hundred percent this is what’s going to happen. The UFC is just not going to hold the division because someone doesn’t want to fight or is injured.”
We haven’t heard much from Pena since she defeated Raquel Pennington via an unimpressive split decision at UFC 307 back in October. Following that fight she called out retired former champ Amanda Nunes rather than Kayla Harrison, and then dropped off the face of the earth. Is she injured? Does she not want to fight Harrison, who is being given the ‘potential superstar’ treatment from UFC brass?
Whatever the case, Abdelaziz wants to see movement in the division and he says the UFC is of the same mind.
“I don’t think any division should be held because someone is injured,” he said. “If you as the champion defend your title a lot, I think you get this courtesy. But if you just became the champion and want to take a year off, I don’t think you should get this courtesy.”
Women’s bantamweight is looking pretty thin these days, to the point where Abdelaziz believes Raquel Pennington would be Harrison’s opponent in an interim title fight.
“This is what she deserves,” Abdelaziz said before adding, “I’m not the matchmakers. There’s a guy from Houston, Texas, named Mick Maynard who does that, and it’s his job.”
Pennington doesn’t sound like much of a challenge, but let’s be real here: every fight that Harrison has at 135 is a hard fight, because she’s literally destroying her body to make that weight.
