Daniel Cormier thinks Julianna Peña missed an important opportunity after UFC 307 by not addressing Kayla Harrison, who many see as her likely next opponent. At the event, held in Utah on Saturday night, Peña defeated Raquel Pennington by split decision to reclaim the bantamweight title in the co-main event. Earlier in the night, Harrison had secured her own victory, defeating Kelten Vieira by unanimous decision.
During Peña’s post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, the camera briefly showed Harrison watching the proceedings. Instead of seizing the moment to call out Harrison, Peña expressed her desire for a trilogy bout with Amanda Nunes. Cormier criticized this decision.
“I will say this: She dropped the ball on the callout. Kayla’s on the screen. Say her name. Why no-sell the person that is clearly going to be your No. 1 contender? There’s no world where she doesn’t fight Kayla Harrison next. She’s fighting her next.”
– Daniel Cormier
Cormier continued, “You might as well put the sell on it right now. Don’t wait until the fight is announced. Now you’re a step behind when you had the opportunity to be a step ahead going into your fight with Kayla Harrison, who will be the No. 1 contender for your championship as we go forward.”
Making the most of it
Cormier also pointed out that Harrison’s performance against Vieira wasn’t dominant, which could have given Peña confidence in a potential match-up. However, he acknowledged that Harrison is still developing her striking skills.
“So Julianna Peña should’ve, after this performance, been more willing to say her name,” Cormier added.
At the end of the day, she becomes the champion again, and Mike Valle and his team at Valle Flow now have two UFC champions on their roster – massive for a gym out of Chicago that isn’t a huge, well-known facility.”
– Daniel Cormier
