Julianna Pena is supported again to win an underdog victory when she goes against Kayla Harrison this Saturday at UFC 316.
On UFC 316 this Saturday, Kayla Harrison will finally fight for a UFC title when she takes on the Bantam weight champion Ladies, Julianna Pena.
Pena returned the title of 135 pounds when she took a split victory on Raquel Pennington after the shock pension of Amanda Nunes after her UFC 289 win on Irene Aldana.
Harrison, on the other hand, has earned her title shot after an extensive debut gain of Holly Holm on UFC 300, followed by a decision victory over Ketlen Vieira on UFC 307.
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Valentina Shevchenko predicts Pena to beat Harrison on UFC 316
Harrison is generally considered one of the most dominant women in the MMA history of women because of her judoka background and heavy ground and pounds.
When Harrison could use elbows for the first time in her career, she left her opponent in a pool of her own blood, and that is an area that she will probably dominate about Pena.
Despite Harrison's constant showcase of dominance, the Consensus Greatest Women's Fighter of all time, Valentina Shevchenko, 'The Venezolan Vixen' has chosen to retain her title in Newark, New Jersey.
“If we compare it to my previous fight against Manon (Fiorot), she would have 12 victories without (a break) and she thought that a championship fight would be the same, but it is not the same,” Shevchenko told ESPN MMA.
“You will get different challenges and I feel the same (about this fight), this is my most important event on UFC 316, it is Julianna Pena against Kayla Harrison.
“I feel in the same way that it will be a very different fight for Kayla Harrison and she will feel completely different because Julianna, she has this ability to win and to fight from a position where she feels uncomfortable to be comfortable, she is not afraid to fight.
“She can subject herself from any position … It is very difficult to get her down. I am a former opponent of Julianna, I absolutely love her style and I really like it … I will root for Julianna … Julianna will do everything to win,” Shevchenko continued.
Julianna Pena was submitted in 2017 by Shevchenko
Only a few fights in her UFC career after winning a contract by winning the ultimate hunter, Pena was linked to 'Bullet' Shevchenko, who seemed to be on a clear path to the title.
This marked Pena's first main event in the promotion and she was then submitted in round two after Shevchenko caught her in a brutal arm bar.
With a victory over Harrison at UFC 316, Pena will undoubtedly have faith to get Nunes out of retirement for them to finally arrange their historic rivalry.