After Julianna Pena ‘bloodbath’ at UFC 316, Kayla Harrison ‘going to get a WWE title, too’

Jesse Holland is among the longest-tenured media professionals in the combat sports news space, covering MMA, professional wrestling and boxing on a full-time basis since early 2004.

Former PFL champion Kayla Harrison has an opportunity to capture her first UFC strap when she collides with current bantamweight titleholder Julianna Pena in the UFC 316 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event this Sat. night (June 7, 2025) at Prudential Center in Newark.

And what comes after that?

“This is what I want her to do, this is the road map: I want Kayla to win the title on Saturday and Amanda Nunes will come back,” Harrison’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told MMA Junkie. “We will fight for this 145 title. Kayla will beat her at 145. Amanda will cut down to 135. Kayla will beat her at 135, then Kayla will have two UFC championships. This is what I want to do.”

Nunes, a former two-division titleholder, has been teasing a return to combat sports.

“Of course we have to talk to UFC and of course Julianna Pena, she is tough as nails,” Abdelaziz continued. “She is not easy. She is not a walk over. She is going to stick around, she is going to take a lot of punishment and is going to be tough. But is what I would love for Kayla to do and after that I would like Kayla to go to WWE and she’s going to get a WWE title, too. Why not?”

That would make her the second UFC women’s champion to score a WWE title.

“I respect Julianna Pena,” Abdelaziz said. “She’s tough as nails. She’s a world champion. You have to put respect on her name. But I think Kayla is going to make a bloodbath. I think it’s going to be a bloodbath. Kayla has every intention to make her pay for everything Julianna said. It’s a great build up and I think they are almost taking over the main event.”

Harrison (18-1) remains a heavy betting favorite ahead of UFC 316.

LIVE! Watch UFC 316 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLE-DIP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., June 7, 2025, with a championship doubleheader headlining UFC 316 from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In UFC 316’s PPV main event, Bantamweight roost-ruler, Merab Dvalishvili, defends his title against former division champion, Sean O’Malley, in a highly-anticipated five-round rematch. UFC 316’s PPV co-main event features women’s Bantamweight titleholder, Julianna Pena, facing off against two-time Olympic gold medalist, Kayla Harrison, in a thrilling five-round clash. UFC 316 will also showcase a 135-pound showdown between Patchy Mix vs. Mario Bautista, as well as a Welterweight bout pitting Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland and much more! UFC 316’s start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (“Early Prelims”), 8 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 316 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ preliminary card matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 316 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 316: “Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 316 fight card and PPV lineup click here.