The top contender for Women’s Bantamweight Championship Kayla Harrison is not in a rush to challenge anyone just yet.
Bantamweight champion Julianna Pena got a shot to reclaim her title from Raquel Pennington and is ready to take on other challengers. The fighter has been in the game for a long time, but she has her sights set on Amanda Nunes instead of No. 1 contender Kayla Harrison. During a post-interview conference, Pena spoke about her reason for calling retired fighter Amanda Nunes out. She says Harrison didn’t call her out and believes the fighter may not be ready to take her on in the octagon.
Harrison on the other hand has spoken about fighting Nunes in the past but for now, she says she doesn’t see it happening in her immediate future, hence her reason for not calling out the fighter yet.
“I’m not going to call Amanda out,” Harrison explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “I’m definitely not going to call Amanda out until I have the title.
“Then when I feel like I’ve done that, I’m going to build the biggest fight in women’s MMA history. But until then, I’m calling for that title.”
Harrison says as much as she would like to battle Nunes, She’s not sure the fighter would be ready to step into the octagon. Nunes has mentioned getting back in the cage but before her official return, she would have to go through drug testing that might take up to six months and Harrison is not ready to wait that long to step into the cage.
“It just makes me look like an asshole eventually,” Harrison said. “When everyone’s like ‘do you want to fight [Amanda]?’ I’m like yeah and Amanda’s like ‘Dude, leave me the f*ck [alone], like shut up! Leave me alone.’
“It’s not personal for me. Of course, I want to fight Amanda. I have great respect for everything she’s accomplished in this sport and to me, there’s no higher honor than saying ‘I want what you have.’ Some 20-year girl walked into [American Top Team] tomorrow and said to me ‘I’m going to beat your ass someday,’ I’d be like yes, let’s go! That’s the kind of energy I want.”
For now, Harrison is focused on pursuing the UFC title and battling Pena in the cage. She says she wants to step into the cage soon and hopes Pena does not take another hiatus from the cage before returning.
“It just makes me look like an asshole eventually,” Harrison said. “When everyone’s like ‘Do you want to fight [Amanda]?’ I’m like yeah and Amanda’s like ‘Dude, leave me the f*ck [alone], like shut up! Leave me alone.’
