Julianna Pena Vs. Kayla Harrison

At UFC 316, Julianna Pena looks to accomplish what she could not during her first run as the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, successfully defend that title. Pena, who defeated Raquel Pennington in October to claim UFC gold for the second time, has her work cut out for her in the UFC 316 co-main event, as she faces former PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison. We look at the opening betting odds for the Pena vs. Harrison matchup.

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.

UFC 316 Fight Card CoMain Event: Julianna Pena Vs. Kayla Harrison Opening Betting Odds And Line Movement

When BetOnline first announced the odds for the Pena vs. Harrison matchup, the challenger was a whopping -700 betting favorite over the champ, who opened as the +525 betting underdog.

The betting line has shifted since then. Today, Pena is listed at +400, while Harrison comes in at -550.

UFC 316 Co-Main Event: Julianna Pena Vs. Kayla Harrison

Julianna 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.

A two-time Olympic gold medal winner in judo (2012 and 2016), Kayla Harrison (18-1) made her MMA debut in the 155-pound division with PFL in 2018. Harrison ran over her first six opponents, picking up three submissions, two knockouts, and a decision before winning the women’s lightweight title by defeating Larissa Pacheco by decision.

In November 2020, Harrison defeated Courtney King by TKO in a 145-pound scrap. Shen then moved back to 155 pounds. In 2021, Harrison won the PFL 155-pound tournament with a submission win over Taylor Guardado.

By 2022, Harrison had amassed a 15-0 record. However, her unbeaten ended in the finals of the 2022 PFL lightweight tourney when Pacheco scored a unanimous decision win over Harrison. The ex-champ fought once more for the PFL, beating former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd via decision in November 2023 in a 150-pound catchweight fight.

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.

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.