UFC 316 – Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison: Preview & Betting Tips

Pena, while known for her boxing, is no slouch on the ground. Her BJJ game is very good, and she showed against Amanda Nunes that she can survive and thrive in scrambles, and then eventually get the job done. At 5ft6 with a 69” reach, the champion will look to utilise her slight reach advantage and sharp boxing to disrupt Harrison’s rhythm and test her cardio in the later rounds. 

Harrison is a couple of inches taller than Pena but will be giving up three inches in reach. While her striking is still a work in progress, the American’s real danger lies in the clinch and on the mat. If she can close the distance, get Pena to the ground and impose her crushing top control, it could be a long night for the champion.

The challenger has proven time and time again that her judo and wrestling are on a different level, and she also possesses thunderous ground-and-pound.

Pena vs Harrison: Prediction & Betting Tips

I believe Pena’s best shot at victory will be to keep the fight standing, fight on the outside, show her some knees and uppercuts up the middle to try and stop Harrison from shooting in, and then drag the challenger into deep waters. 

The one thing I’ll say about the champ is that we have seen her battle hard and come through a war of attrition, against arguably the greatest female MMA fighter of all time in Amanda Nunes.

In contrast, Harrison has had it pretty much all her own way throughout her UFC career thus far. So it will be interesting to see how she reacts when she faces adversity. 

That being said, I don’t think she’ll face a great deal of adversity in this one; I think we see a new UFC women’s bantamweight champion on Saturday night. My pick is Kayla Harrison to get the job done inside the distance at odds of 1.80 (Sky Bet).