Ailin Perez: Julianna Peña is 'scared sh*tless' of defending UFC title vs. Kayla Harrison

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 why not an interim title fight vs. Kayla Harrison to see who’a the next one for the title? Julianna is turning down fights and not taking advantage of the opportunity the UFC is giving her.”

Perez lost her UFC debut back in 2022 at 145 pounds. She then dropped to bantamweight and has won four consecutive fights, earning her a spot in the top 15 official UFC rankings.

Peña vs. Harrison has yet to be made official by the UFC, but many expect that to be next. If the fight were to come to fruition, Perez only sees one way it could go.

“Obviously Kayla,” Perez said when akes to pick a winner between the two. “That’s why I want to fight Kayla. Just like I think Kayla beats Julianna, I also don’t think Kayla has what’s needed to go five rounds with me. That’s why I want to fight for an interim belt. That’s where we’ll see all of Kayla’s weaknesses.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.