Kayla Harrison captured the UFC women’s bantamweight championship at UFC 316 with a dominant second-round submission victory over Julianna Peña. The two-time Olympic gold medalist’s journey to UFC gold was marked by extreme adversity behind the scenes, a dominant performance in the octagon, and the setup for what could become one of the biggest bouts in women’s MMA history.
The Championship
Harrison needed just over one round to secure a kimura that forced Peña to tap, bringing her journey to the UFC championship to a swift and decisive conclusion. The finish came in the second round when Harrison secured the submission grip, a technique she frequently drills with her coaches.
Kayla Harrison is sick as fuck bro, took 0 seconds for her to finish that kimura. #UFC316 pic.twitter.com/cmtFTfTFja
— Tony Tarbs (@TonyTarbs) June 8, 2025
“I heard the clapper and I was like, ‘Well, let me just give it a little yank and see what happens.’ And next thing I know, he’s pulling me off saying that she tapped. I didn’t even feel the tap. So I was like, ‘Oh, wow. I’m UFC champion,'” Harrison recalled.
For Harrison, the victory represented far more than just athletic achievement.
“This belt right here, yes, best in the world. But this belt represents so much more than that,” Harrison reflected during the press conference after the event. “The journey to get here and the woman that I’ve become. From being 6 years old on my Mimi’s couch watching the 96 Olympic Games to being here. I’ve been through some s-*t and I feel like my spirit is unbreakable and my faith is unshakable.”
Despite preparing for a potential 25-minute battle, Harrison found the finish more quickly than anticipated.
“It went really fast,” Harrison said. “I prepared and kind of expected and spent a lot of time visualizing 25 hard minutes just because Juliana is a tough son of a g*n and she’s a fighter through and through.”
Extreme Weight Cut
Behind Harrison’s dominant performance lay a story of extreme adversity during her weight cut leading up to the championship. The newly crowned champion revealed the severe challenges she endured in the final stages of making weight.
“That last pound, and specifically this time, the last two pounds, that was God and that was the team that he’s put around me,” Harrison explained, highlighting how close she came to giving up during the process. “I really wanted to give up… So, God and my team and him putting them in my life is what I attribute that to.”
The Olympic gold medalist admitted to a moment of crisis during her cut:
“I really wanted to give up and I didn’t. I was like, ‘What the hell am I doing?'” When asked if she considered dropping out because the weight cut was too difficult, Harrison clarified: “I would have chopped off my leg to make it to this fight.”
Harrison described the experience as a defining moment where true character emerges:
“There are moments in your life where you have a choice, right? You have a choice to say I quit or you have a choice to dig in your heels. And Thursday night was definitely one of those moments for me where I really didn’t—I wanted to be like anywhere else on earth than in that sauna.”
The champion painted a vivid picture of her suffering:
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It sucks a**… It’s not pretty. But it’s in those moments when your true character comes out and you’re forged.”
The Cockroach Mentality
With characteristic humor and insight, Harrison summed up the indomitable spirit that has defined her career across two combat sports:
“I’m kind of like a cockroach, you know? It’s just you can’t get rid of me. And again, I give all of that to God. He’s made me a hell of a weapon.”
This resilience was evident not just in her weight cut struggles, but throughout her entire journey to UFC gold. Harrison credited her success to her team at American Top Team and her faith.
“I’ve had a lot of help. It takes a village. I have a lot of people to be sending thank yous to and this belt, a piece of it belongs to each and every one of them.”
Despite the heated build-up to the event with Peña, Harrison emphasized there was no personal animosity. After the bout, the two shared a touching moment.
“I wanted to go make sure she was okay. Asked if I could pray with her. She said yes. We prayed and then she prayed. She prayed for me as well. It was kind of a beautiful full circle moment for me.”
Amanda Nunes
What made the night even more memorable was the surprise appearance of former champion Amanda Nunes in the octagon following Harrison’s victory. The moment created instant buzz as Harrison invited Nunes into the cage for a face-off, setting up what could become one of the biggest women’s bouts in UFC history.
“Let’s make some promotional magic right here,” Harrison said of the impromptu moment. “I just want to fight. I definitely want to fight Amanda. She’s the greatest of all time. I want to be the greatest of all time. I’ve wanted that for a long time now. It’s not personal. There’s no bad blood. I don’t care what weight we fight at.”
Despite their shared history as former training partners at American Top Team, Harrison maintains there’s no animosity between them.
“I’m going to give Amanda as much time as she needs to prepare. I want her to be the best her. I’m going to be the best me,” Harrison stated. “We’re going to go in there and make some absolute magic in the women’s division. We’re going to break some records and make some history and we’re both going to make a lot of money doing it and we’re going to bring women’s MMA to a whole new level.”
The night was filled with surreal moments for Harrison, including being congratulated by former President Donald Trump and Mike Tyson immediately after her victory.
“Dana’s wrapping the belt around my waist and then I’m like giving Dana a kiss on his bald head because I said I would so I did. Then we’re walking out. He’s like, ‘You got to meet the president.’ So I’m walking out and then the president of the United States is giving me a kiss on my cheek and I was like, ‘Holy s*it.’ And then Mike Tyson’s right there. I was just like, ‘Am I in a movie right now?’ Like what’s happening?”
