Kayla Harrison is the UFC’s new bantamweight champion after defeating Julianna Pena with a kimura submission tonight at UFC 316.
Round One
Harrison taking the center of the Octagon early and firing off a few strikes, but not yet finding the mark.
Harrison with a leg kick. Pena keeping her distance and feeling out with the jab. Harrison closes the distance though and clinches up against the cage.
Harrison able to land her first takedown of the fight with plenty of time to work. She’s in side control then works back to half-guard. Pena works for butterfly guard and then settles for closed guard.
Pena firing off a few hammerfists from her back. Harrison staying patient. She postures up and Pena fires off a couple of illegal upkicks that land to the face and that forces a time-out. The ref opts to take a point from Pena for that – a big moment in the fight!
They now reset at striking range, but there’s not too much time left in the round.
Round Two
Straight left for Harrison. She lands another and then tries for a head kick that’s blocked. Kick for Harrison, but Pena responds with a couple of hard punches.
Harrison steps in with an elbow and then gets into the clinch against the cage. Harrison with a few strikes from here. Pena doing a better job of staying upright this time around. That being said, eventually Harrison does manage to put her on her back again with a little over two minutes to work.
Harrison looking for elbows. Now a solid flurry of punches. Pena trying to work for a submission, but nothing comes of it and Harrison is back on her applying pressure.
Harrison trying to work for an arm triangle choke now, but for now Pena has one of her legs trapped to stop her from fully locking this in.
Harrison gives up on the choke late in the round and instead switches up for a kimura attempt from side control. She cranks on it and with her strength she’s able to force Pena to tap out at 4.55mins of the second round.
Harrison has long been tipped as a future champion in the UFC and she’s made it a reality, adding to a trophy cabinet that already holds two Olympic judo gold medals and two PFL tournament trophies.
Another major challenge now awaits her though as WMMA’s G.O.A.T Amanda Nunes then enters the Octagon and confirms she’ll come out of retirement to fight her next.
