Spokane fighter Julianna Pena submitted by Kayla Harrison in UFC title defense

Julianna Peña’s second title defense of her career unfortunately ended much like the first.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison added a UFC bantamweight world championship to her resume, submitting Peña via Kimura lock to win the title at UFC 316 at Prudentical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

A judo expert, Harrison (19-1) was a -650 favorite as the challenger at the opening bell, and she proved the oddsmakers prescient against an overmatched Peña (13-6), a +425 underdog who tried to stretch the bout into the later rounds but ultimately couldn’t resist Harrison’s onslaught.

Harrison scored a takedown in the first round but did little with it. She controlled Peña on the ground for more than four minutes total in the fight, however, and she forced the champion to tap out quickly when she locked in a Kimura lock to Peña’s left arm with five seconds left in the second round.

Peña’s defeat marked her second loss in as many career title defenses. She also misses out on an opportunity to fight UFC icon Amanda Nunes for a third time. Nunes and Harrison faced off inside the octogon after Harrison’s victory and announced their intention to fight for the title at a future date.