Kayla Harrison isn’t the primary occasion at UFC 307, however she positively took middle stage throughout a few heated exchanges through the pre-fight press convention on Thursday.
It was nearly anticipated that the two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo would get drawn right into a confrontation with Julianna Pena after they’ve gone back-and-forth by interviews for the higher a part of the previous yr. Whereas Harrison is going through Ketlen Vieira on Saturday, and Pena goes for gold towards Raquel Pennington, each fighters not often escape an interview with out being requested a few potential battle between them.
Nonetheless, Harrison tried to take care of her declaration that it doesn’t matter who has the belt after UFC 307 as a result of she’s coming for them.
“Fill within the clean,” Harrison mentioned about her selection of opponents. “It doesn’t matter. It’s solely a matter of time. I’m the uncrowned queen. First Saturday evening, I smash Ketlen after which I come for my title. Take pleasure in it whilst you can girls.”
After all, Harrison admitted that she would gladly drive an elbow by Pena’s head without spending a dime, which prompted a response from the previous UFC ladies’s bantamweight champion.
“I do know violence,” Pena mentioned. “Kayla simply bought right here to the scene. So far as I’m involved, the final time she confronted a Brazilian, she got here operating into the UFC.”
Whereas Pena needed to deliver up Harrison’s solely profession loss in a choice to Larissa Pacheco within the PFL, the 34-year-old bantamweight shortly reminded her counterpart that she’s been much more lively with so much much less time within the sport.
“I’ve extra finishes than Julianna has wins,” Harrison mentioned. “I don’t know what she’s speaking about. She higher decelerate.
“[I] simply bought right here? I gained two Olympic gold medals. You began your profession in 2009 and also you’re 10-5. I began in 2018 and I’m 17-1.”
That quantity didn’t appear to impress Pena.
“It’s straightforward to be 17-1 once you’re preventing freaking tomato cans,” Pena mentioned.
Maybe the extra awkward confrontation got here from Harrison’s interplay with Vieira, who comes into the battle as one of many largest underdogs on your complete card.
Often gentle spoken, notably as a result of she’s sometimes speaking by a translator, Vieira bought relatively animated on Thursday whereas taking private photographs and low blows at Harrison.
“Hear, it’s going to be actually laborious your ugly face for me,” Vieira mentioned. “It’s going to be OK once you look within the mirror.”
The touch upon her look was clearly sudden however Harrison reminded Vieira “my mother thinks I’m fairly … my youngsters assume I’m fairly, too,” earlier than capping that off by calling her opponent an “asshole.”
Vieira’s frustration in direction of Harrison stems from the eye the previous two-time PFL champion has acquired since signing with the UFC as a high-profile free agent. In her first look with the promotion, Harrison bought a spot on the coveted UFC 300 card the place she dismantled former champion Holly Holm for a submission win inside two rounds.
Now Harrison is competing in a de facto No. 1 contenders bout whereas awaiting the possibility to face both Pennington or Pena subsequent.
That simply didn’t appear proper to Vieira, who has been grinding her means by the ladies’s bantamweight division within the UFC for the previous eight years.
“I do know you’ve got an excellent historical past in judo and I respect that however so that you can skip the road, I really feel that’s a little bit an excessive amount of,” Vieira mentioned. “We work so laborious for this. Take into consideration myself, since 2018, first I beat Sara McMann and I assumed I’ve a shot on the title. Then I’m going on the market and beat Cat Zingano, the woman that truly beat Amanda Nunes, I assumed I had a shot on the title. Then I beat two former champions and I assumed I’m going to have a shot on the title.
“Hastily you come out right here and also you skip the road. Truly I had a loss then and I had a loss to Raquel Pennington, someone lively, the present champion, someone I love so much and somebody I mirror myself and my sport and the way in which I behave myself [after]. As a result of I feel coming right here and really being a champion is extra than simply coming right here and saying numerous bologna.”
For all of the speak about her skipping the road or getting one thing she doesn’t deserve, Harrison reminded all people on stage that she’s prepared for all challenges and invitations them to try to shut her up.
“That is the distinction between me and all of those ladies,” Harrison mentioned. “I come right here and so they complain ‘she skipped the road, she’s on steroids, it’s not honest, she shouldn’t do that, she shouldn’t try this.’ If this was my division, and I used to be the champion, I’d say come the f*ck over and I’ll present you who’s champion.”
