Manager Ali Abdelaziz Asserts Kayla Harrison Is Fighting for the Title, Whether Julianna Pena Agrees or Not

Smrutisnat Jena | 03/01/2025
Kayla Harrison during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena.

Kayla Harrison might have been denied a title shot by Julianna Pena, but the latter’s manager Ali Abdelaziz believes she is fighting for the bantamweight championship all the same. After winning against Raquel Pennington at UFC 307, Pena had snubbed Harrison and called out Amanda Nunes for a fight.

However, in an interview with MMA Junkie, Abdelaziz revealed that he was told if Pena wasn’t fit enough to put the belt on the line, it wouldn’t really affect his client, Harrison’s plans in the UFC.

“Julianna Penna, if she is not ready to fight Kayla, she might have some health problems, it’s going to be an interim title…  The UFC is just not going to hold the division because someone doesn’t want to fight or is injured. If you are out more than eight, nine months then UFC should make an interim title. And I love that.”

 

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Abdelaziz further asserted that the promotion should not be putting any division on hold because someone was injured. He believes if a champion has already defended their title a lot, they might be offered some courtesy.

“But if you just became the champion and want to take a year off, I don’t think you should get this courtesy.”

Now Pena might not like where this is going but she will have little to no choice but to come back and defend her undisputed title upon her return.

What’s next for the UFC women’s bantamweight division?

If Pena wanted her way, she would have waited for Nunes to return and fight for the trilogy. If Harrison had her way, she would be fighting Pena for the title and then challenge Nunes. However, since neither of those scenarios is likely to come to pass, it would appear Harrison is fighting the next best fighter in the division- Raquel Pennington.

The former two-time Olympic gold medalist, Harrison has been on a roll since joining the UFC, with wins over Holly Holms and Ketlen Vieira. She is also most likely walking into the Pennington fight as a betting favorite, despite having a rather underwhelming win in her last fight.

However, if she wins the interim title and then manages to unify it against Pena upon the undisputed champion’s return, there will be nowhere else to go but actually call out Nunes, who already has hinted at her interest in fighting Harrison.


And truth be told, Harrison vs. Nunes is the fight that everyone wants to see. With the title on the line, it is sure to be one the biggest events in women’s combat sports the MMA community will ever witness. But there’s a lot that needs to be done before it comes to pass.

 

Post Edited By: Smrutisnat Jena
Julianna Pena Kayla Harrison

About the author

Smrutisnat Jena

Smrutisnat Jena is a UFC Editor with The SportsRush. With 8 years of experience under his belt, Smrutisnat has had a career that has travelled through the multiverse of journalism, be it politics, entertainment or satire. But as a practitioner of amateur wrestling, his true love has always been combat sports. After being introduced to Chuck Liddell at the age of 8, working with MMA has always been THE goal for him. When he's away from work, Smrutisnat likes hanging out with dogs, and sparring with his teammates at the local gym, often simultaneously.

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