Pena Says Hopefully Harrison Cycles Off Steroids Before UFC 316

With UFC 316 fast approaching, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena attempted to carefully offer her opinion on the physique of her opponent in the co-main event of that fight card, Kayla Harrison.

UFC 316, the next PPV card on the 2025 UFC schedule, takes place on Saturday, June 7, from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In the main event, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili faces Sean O’Malley in a rematch. Dvalishvili claimed the UFC 135-pound title in September 2024 when he and O’Malley first faced off

“It doesn’t just happen overnight just because you touch the weights a little bit. I want to say what everybody’s thinking on their minds, which is that, of course, she at some point was on steroids and hopefully she cycles off of them before June 7, makes the weight, and pisses clean,” Pena told Ariel Helwani. “Because that’s what I’m going to be doing and I want this fight to be as fair a fight as possible, minus her being a weight bully and cutting the 50 pounds in order to make the weight class.”

Pena pointed to the difference between the Harrison who won gold medals in judo at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games at -78 kg. “I cannot confirm 110 percent wether she is or is not on PEDs, but I will say that back then, in the Olympics, she looked like a girl, very feminine, and now she looks super juicy and cut up.

Somebody give that girl a band-aid, because she’s cut.”

Harrison (18-1) joined the MMA ranks in 2018, competing at 155 pounds for PFL. She was signed by the PFL through 2024. During her run with that promotion, Harrison won two lightweight tournaments, and also fought once at 145 pounds for Invicta FC. When her run with PFL ended, Harrison had a 16-1 record. Her only loss being a decision setback to Larissa Pachecho in the 2022 PFL lightweight tournament final.

In January 2024, the UFC announced it had signed Harrison and that her promotional debut would take place in the 135-pound weight class. Harrison impressed in that performance, submitting former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm by submission in the second round at UFC 400.

In her next, and most recent, outing, Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision.

Harrison is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the official UFC women’s 135-pound rankings.

Harrison underwent 13 drug tests under the UFC program in 2024 and she has been tested three times in 2025. Harrison has never failed a drug test in her athletic career.

Pena (12-5) earned her UFC contract by winning Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. A member of Team Tate, Pena knocked out Jessica Rakoczy in the first round of their November 2013 matchup. The win moved Pena’s record to 5-2.

Pena ran off three victories after that, beating Milana Dudieva, Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano before Valentina Shevchenko ended her winning streak with a January 2017 armbar submission.

In October 2017 Pena announced her pregnancy. When she returned to action in July 2019, Pena defeated Nicco Montano by decision. A submission loss to De Randamie in October 2020 followed.

In January 2021, Pena submitted Sara McMann. Pena, sitting at No. 3 in the women’s bantamweight rankings, earned a shot at Amanda Nunes and her bantamweight title in December 2021. She entered that contest as a -650 underdog to the champ, who was the -1000 betting favorite.

In one of the more shocking upsets in UFC title fight history, Pena submitted Nunes in the second round, ending the Brazilian’s title reign.

Pena’s time at the top of the division was short, as Nunes won their July 2022 rematch by decision.

Pena was set to face Nunes in a trilogy bout at UFC 289, but an injury knocked the former champ from that scrap. Nunes defeated Pena’s replacement, Irene Aldana, on that card and then retired.

When Pena returned to action it was at UFC 307 where she defeated then-champion Raquel Pennington via split decision. She makes her first defense of that belt at UFC 316.

We will have more on this upcoming UFC 316 PPV as fight night approaches, including previews, odds, and predictions for the UFC 316 fight card.