January 18, 2025 10: 30 am ET
If Julianna Pena does not want to fight Kayla Harrison for the UFC title, Ailin Perez will do it.
Perez, a rising contender in the UFC women’s bantamweight division, thinks Peña is trying to do everything to avoid defending her title against Harrison. That’s why Perez (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) wants to offer the promotion her services should she defeat Karol Rosa (18-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) this Saturday at UFC 311 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) – which goes down at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
“I’m going to ask for a title fight, preferably against Kayla Harrison for the interim title, since Julianna Peña doesn’t want to defend her beat against Kayla Harrison,” Perez told Hablemos MMA. “That gives me a little, I don’t know, like, ‘Come on woman, defend your title. Who are you, Julianna Peña?’ I feel she’s scared sh*tless of Kayla Harrison, and I want to show that I also want the belt.
“So w