Athletes
Kayla Harrison Is Just Getting Started
Newly Minted Bantamweight Champion Kayla Harrison Is Enjoying Championship Life While Also Keeping Her Focus On The Challenges Awaiting Her
Kayla Harrison isn’t unfamiliar with the champion’s life, but that doesn’t make her ascendency to the bantamweight throne any less sweet. Since she joined the roster in April 2024, UFC gold was her lone focus, and at UFC 316 in New Jersey, she completed her journey as she submitted Julianna Peña in the second round.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo won mixed martial arts titles in other promotions, but now that she sits atop the UFC’s 135-pound division, she is fully aware of the eyeballs the mixed martial arts leader attracts.
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“Sleep is a little better, the air is a little cleaner — life is good,” Harrison told UFC.com from the red carpet ahead of the 2025 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “I think that the monster that the UFC is, it's a global sport. It's wildly popular. In judo, it's popular, but you're popular for 15 minutes, and so I think that level of recognition is different.
“Achieving a lifetime dream — it feels surreal.”
From UFC CEO Dana White wrapping the belt around her waist and facing off with 2025 UFC Hall of Fame inductee and soon-to-be-returning double-champion Amanda Nunes to meeting the gang of Octagonside celebrities, Harrison soaked in every bit of her title-winning moment.
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She can’t help but laugh when recalling how she spent the next night and morning after beating Peña.
“I don't think I slept, by the way,” she said. “When I stayed awake and the sun was rising, I was like, ‘Holy s**t, this is real. It really happened. We really did it.’
“I've been super blessed to have such an amazing, supportive team around me from day one, and my family has always supported and believed in me. It's been a long road with a lot of ups and downs and a lot of doubts along the way, but it was all worth it.”
Kayla Harrison Submits Julianna Peña To Win Bantamweight Title | UFC 316
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Kayla Harrison Submits Julianna Peña To Win Bantamweight Title | UFC 316
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Never one to rest on her laurels for too long, Harrison said she is already back in the gym and preparing for her first title defense whenever that may come. But in her eyes, doing something like landing in Las Vegas and getting a training session in before the glitz-and-glam of a red carpet moment isn’t part of the job, it’s part of the blessed life she earned.
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When she spoke with UFC.com following her win in New Jersey, she said she hoped the belt represented the “indomitable will” it took to win the belt 14 months into her time in the UFC. The cut down to 135 pounds is well-documented, and Harrison has expressed the lengths to which she has to go to hit the limit, but that only added to the weight of the accomplishment. As she looks ahead to building her legacy as a UFC champion, she is also of a clear mind as to what she hopes to represent while she is in the spotlight.
“When we stand in our truth, no matter what the cost, everybody benefits,” she said. “When I honor that, and I stay true to me, life gets better. Even if it's hard, you can do hard things, and you can have uncomfortable moments, but staying true to me and staying true to yourself has never led me (astray). Just me being a light in this world, remembering that it's an honor and a privilege to get to share my story, to speak out, to have a platform and to use it wisely.”