Kayla Harrison wants to respect UFC 316 foe Julianna Pena

UFC star Kayla Harrison has admitted that she wants to be able to respect her upcoming UFC 316 opponent Julianna Pena.

At UFC 316 later this year, Kayla Harrison will attempt to become a UFC world champion. She’ll do so by locking horns with Julianna Pena, a woman who she’s been linked with fighting for a long time now. When you take a look at the current state of women’s mixed martial arts, you could probably argue that this is one of the most intriguing – and certainly important – fights that can be made right now.

RELATED: Kayla Harrison makes surprising admission ahead of UFC 316 title fight against Julianna Pena

Of course, there’s a certain level of bad blood between Harrison and the reigning bantamweight champion. They’ve exchanged words on several occasions, to the point where some wondered whether or not this bout would even get booked. Alas, we’re here now, and we’re all excited to see how it’s going to play out on June 7 in Newark, New Jersey.

In a recent interview, Harrison provided a few more thoughts on her view of Pena ahead of fight night.

Harrison’s thoughts on Pena

“I want to have a lot of respect for Julianna because she’s a single mom, she’s a veteran of the sport, she scratched and clawed her way to the top, she believed in herself when nobody believed in her,” Harrison said. “I really want to have admiration for her, and I think probably deep down, I do.

“And I love that she’s confident and she says what she thinks, but she’s just pretty dumb sometimes. So, it’s hard. It’s difficult. Just some of the stuff, cheesy, very cringe. She reminds me a lot of Henry (Cejudo). Trying too hard.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Who are you backing to pick up the win and take home the title? Let us know your thoughts on this one, BJPENN Nation!