Julianna Peña is no stranger to stepping into the octagon with the best women in MMA history. She’s faced legends like Amanda Nunes, Valentina Shevchenko, and Germaine de Randamie, but right now, there’s one name that’s got her fired up more than any other: Kayla Harrison. The UFC bantamweight champ, who reclaimed her title at UFC 307 this past October, is itching to take on the No. 1 contender in what’s shaping up to be a blockbuster grudge match.

While the fight hasn’t been officially booked yet, all signs point to Peña vs. Harrison being the next big thing. Peña won back her belt in dramatic fashion at UFC 307, and on the same card, Harrison kept her title shot hopes alive by outclassing Ketlen Vieira. The stage is set, and Peña isn’t shy about her excitement for this matchup.

During a recent chat on the Overdogs podcast, Peña was asked if she’d rather avenge her high-profile losses to Nunes, Shevchenko, or de Randamie. Her answer? A resounding “Kayla Harrison, absolutely.” For Peña, this isn’t about dwelling on the past—it’s about what’s fresh, what’s now, and what’s next. “I don’t want to be living in the past,” she said. “I want to be moving forward, and that’s Kayla Harrison. That’s my target, my goal, and it would mean the most to me.”

And here’s the kicker: Peña’s no stranger to being the underdog. She famously pulled off an 11-to-1 upset against Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 in December 2021 to claim her first title. So when she mentions the current odds—some books have her as high as a 5-to-1 underdog against Harrison’s -700 favorite status—she just shrugs it off. “Seven-to-one? That’s pretty good,” she quipped, referencing how she’s defied the odds before.

A Shift in Focus: From Nunes to Harrison

This might surprise some fans, considering Peña has often teased a trilogy fight with Nunes. After her stunning upset win over “The Lioness” in 2021, she lost the belt back to Nunes seven months later at UFC 277. Since then, Peña’s been vocal about wanting that third fight, especially with Nunes occasionally hinting at a return from retirement. But for now, Nunes seems happy on the sidelines, and Peña’s ready to move on. Her focus? Kayla Harrison.

“Everybody knows that we’re supposed to fight,” Peña said on the podcast. “It’s not some big secret. It’s not like I’m going to be like, ‘I’m fighting Amanda Nunes!’ Everyone knows that me and Kayla are supposed to fight.” She’s right—it’s the worst-kept secret in MMA. Fans, analysts, and oddsmakers alike are already buzzing about this clash, calling it one of the biggest fights in women’s mixed martial arts history.

That said, the details are still up in the air. No date, no venue, no signed contracts—just a lot of hype and some logistical puzzle pieces that need to fall into place. “That hasn’t been announced,” Peña noted. “That is to be determined, but as far as who I’m fighting, everybody knows it’s Kayla.”

Yet, Peña remains such a massive underdog yet again. You ask why?

Depending on where you look, the odds are stacked heavily against her. Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo gold medalist and former PFL champ, is seen as a technical powerhouse. Peña, on the other hand, admits she might not be the most polished fighter in the game. “Maybe I’m not the most technically sound,” she said. “Maybe I don’t throw the Rock ‘em Sock ‘em punches perfectly.”

She didn’t grow up in martial arts, either. Unlike some of her opponents who’ve been training since childhood, Peña didn’t throw her first punch until she was 19. No wrestling pedigree, no judo background—just raw determination. And that, she says, is her secret weapon.

“I’ve always had this one thing that has set me apart from everybody else, and that is my mindset,” Peña explained. “The mental toughness, the grit, and the belief in myself that I can do anything.” She’s not here to put a ceiling on her potential. When she gets knocked down, she gets back up—faster, harder, and meaner. “You’re going to have to literally cut my head off in order to get me to stop,” she said, likening herself to the Terminator. “I will not stop.”

That relentless attitude has carried her to two UFC titles, even when the world counted her out. “I might get thrown on my head,” she added, “but then you’re going to have to be careful about what I do after that. I may get taken down, but then you’re going to have to worry about getting elbowed in the face or punched because I’m not going to lay down.”

Peña believes her never-say-die mentality is what throws her opponents off. “When you throw the kitchen sink at someone and they say, ‘Is that all you got?’ It’s mentally defeating for them,” she said. “It’s like, ‘What do I have to do to kill this person?’” That’s where she thrives—turning fights into wars of attrition where her willpower outlasts her opponent’s technique.

As she gears up for Harrison, Peña’s embracing the underdog role once more. The oddsmakers might not give her much of a shot, but she’s heard that noise before. And if history’s any indication, writing her off could be a big mistake. Whether it’s Harrison’s judo mastery or Peña’s unbreakable spirit that wins the day, one thing’s for sure: this fight’s going to be a must-watch.