Kayla Harrison could fight for the interim bantamweight title this year if current champion Julianna Pena isn’t ready to defend her title in the first half of 2025.
That’s the word according to Harrison’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, who claims that information comes from the UFC themselves.
“This is what I have been told: Julianna Peña, if she’s not ready to fight Kayla, she might have some health problems – it’s going to be an interim title,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “One hundred, percent this is what’s going to happen. 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.
“I don’t think any division should be held because someone is injured. If you as the champion defend your title a lot, I think you get this courtesy. But if you just became the champion and want to take a year off, I don’t think you should get this courtesy.”
A former two-time Olympic judo gold medalist and ex-PFL lightweight champion, the 34-year-old Harrison is banging on the door of title contention in the UFC after reaching No.2 in the divisional rankings following her wins over Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira last year.
Abdelaziz went on to suggest that if an interim fight does materialize for Harrison then it should be against former champ and current No.1 contender Raquel Pennington.
“I think 100 percent (Pennington),” Abdelaziz said. “This is what she deserves. I’m not the matchmakers. There’s a guy from Houston, Texas, named Mick Maynard who does that and it’s his job.”
