Kayla Harrison isn’t taking Julianna Pena’s PED accusations personally.
Long before Pena was scheduled to throw hands with the two-time Olympic gold medalist and at UFC 316, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ had accused Harrison of using performance-enhancing drugs throughout her career.
Pena continued that trend during a recent interview with Submission Radio, claiming that Harrison used to shoot up in the American Top Team bathroom.
“I absolutely know for a fact that people, from the stories that I’ve been told and my own experiences that I’ve had at ATT, that they were shooting each other in the ass in the bathroom all the time,” Pena said.
Harrison recently reacted to all of Pena’s unsubstantiated claims, suggesting that her comments are coming from a place of insecurity.
“For me, it kind of screams insecurity,” Harrison told MMA Fighting. “When I see her talk or hear some of the stuff she says, I feel like it’s fear. It’s not personal for me—she can say whatever she wants about me. At the end of the day, we get locked in a cage, and that’s where I’m going to do my talking. I just feel bad that she lives life that way. Like, terrible existence.
“The steroids thing is just—again, it’s funny to me. I’ve never taken steroids. I got drug tested for the first time when I was in middle school because I was in the top five on the national roster for judo. I’ve been tested probably more than any athlete in the UFC. One time, I got tested four times in a month! But I know I’m clean. I work really, really hard.
Kayla Harrison responds to Pena’s comments about her ‘Super Juicy’ build
Harrison also addressed Pena’s comments that she used to look much more “feminine” during her days as an Olympian compared to the “super juicy and cut up” physique she’s sporting now.
“I didn’t look like this when I competed in judo because I was 170 pounds,” Harrison added. “It’s a lot of discipline, and I have a really good team around me who fuel me properly, and I’m proud of it. I’m proud of my body of work and everything I’ve accomplished—clean.
“There’ll never be a blemish on that, because I’ve never taken anything. I was afraid to take Flintstone vitamins when I started getting drug tested at 12!”
For the record, Kayla Harrison has never reportedly tested positive for a banned substance throughout her 20 years of competing as a professional athlete.
