Julianna Pena has been overlooked and underrated for many of the biggest fights of her UFC career.
At UFC 316, on the same night that Merab Dvalishvili will look to beat Sean O’Malley for a second time in the main event, Pena returns to defend her bantamweight title.
After beating Raquel Pennington via split decision last October to win the vacant belt, it was immediately clear who her next opponent would be.
Former PFL star Kayla Harrison was one of the most highly anticipated signings that the UFC has made in recent years, with back-to-back wins inside the Octagon justifying this.
While many expect Harrison to continue her flawless run at 135 pounds by leaving Newark with the gold, there are others who believe the champion cannot be counted out.
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Jon Anik says he can’t overlook Julianna Pena at UFC 316 after watching back her first fight with Amanda Nunes
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, UFC commentator Jon Anik said that he doesn’t think the co-main event of UFC 316 is as easy to predict as some seem to think.
While he’s a big admirer of Kayla Harrison and the dominating physical presence that she brings in to the Octagon, Anik has long felt like Julianna Pena is underrated.
Pena is also no stranger to pulling off remarkable upsets having shocked the world at UFC 269 when she ended the dominant title reign of Amanda Nunes.
Though ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ would go on to lose the belt in her rematch with Nunes, Anik believes that it’s the same qualities that Pena displayed in that fight which make her a difficult opponent for Harrison.
He specifically drew attention to prior comments from her coach, Rick Little, about the attributes that the champion brings to the table which could be crucial on June 7.
“I agree. I’m not even sure I have too much to add except that I just recently went back and watched Amanda Nunez versus Julianna Pena 1 and that’s all the film I need to watch right now. Certainly Rick Little has said superlative to me over the years just how mean and nasty she is and man or woman, she is just a nasty f—— p—-.
“I just think toughness plus cardio plus self belief plus the desire to be in the trenches, right? She’s never looking for a way out. She’s not looking to tap because the going gets tough and I think that’s what you need against an otherworldly decorated two-time Olympic champion like Kayla Harrison that has to deal with a fight before the fight like few fighters really have to deal with.”
Jon Anik has some concerns regarding Kayla Harrison’s bantamweight future
A major narrative surrounding Kayla Harrison’s previous appearances inside the Octagon has been the substantial weight cut that she goes through to make bantamweight.
During her time in the PFL, the former two-time Olympic gold medallist competed two weight classes higher than she currently does in the UFC.
She has got her hand raised in both of her UFC fights but there’s still a concern that she could encounter issues before fight night or have the weight cut impact her performance.
Jon Anik believes that even if Harrison comes out on top at UFC 316, he isn’t sure whether she’ll be sticking around at 135 pounds for much longer.
“I can’t help but wonder aloud how many times Kayla Harrison is going to be able to make weight in defending this belt if she’s actually able to win it. I don’t know the answer. There’s not a UFC women’s featherweight division as far as I’m concerned right now so there are a lot of questions marks on the Kayla Harrison side.”