UFC Bantamweight Champion Raquel Pennington Unconcerned By Kayla Harrison's Arrival: 'She's Going To Be Exposed'

UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Raquel Pennington doesn't expect newcomer Kayla Harrison to get past Holly Holm on debut, yet alone dethrone her down the line.

With the absence of former two-division titleholder Amanda Nunes following her retirement last year, the UFC's female 135-pound weight class has been widely discredited and dismissed as being among the least enthralling in the promotion.

But that perception could soon change courtesy of Harrison's addition. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has made the swap following a pair of championships under the PFL banner.

The Ohio native will now look to complete her mixed martial arts dreams by achieving title glory on the sport's biggest stage. 

Given her success away from the Octagon, some are predicting a quick rise to the top for Harrison. But the woman who currently occupies the throne doesn't seem the least bit worried for a myriad of reasons.

Pennington Reacts To Harrison's UFC Signing

During a recent interview with RJ Clifford on SiriusXM's Unlocking the Cage, Pennington gave her reaction to Harrison's impending arrival into the division, which will come against an ex-champ in Holm at UFC 300.

"Rocky," who became the bantamweight successor to Nunes with a victory over Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297 last month, expressed little concern over the former judoka joining the ranks.

In addition to sharing a common sentiment regarding longtime lightweight Harrison's cut down to the weight limit, Pennington suggested that the Olympian is yet to be "truly challenged" at a high level in MMA.

"She’s been successful in PFL. My biggest question, honestly, is how is she going to make the weight? She’s a very dense chick, there’s no denying that," Pennington said. "I feel like, as far as coming into the UFC, a lot of athletes haven’t truly been challenged, and I feel like she hasn’t truly been challenged in the PFL. To now come in and have this platform, that’s going to give her a run for her money for sure. She has a huge hype following her, but I think she’s going to be exposed a little bit. First and foremost, the hardest part of this is making the weight.

"I feel like Holly is at a point in her career where she’s older, and I don’t mean that in any bad way, but things get tough when you get older as an athlete. It takes a different toll on your body and stuff, and she’s been around for a very long time," Pennington continued. "I feel like her last few fights, she hasn’t had that ‘it’ anymore. She’s been battling different injuries and stuff, and it just feels like she’s on her way out. But I feel like if Holly actually brings back the Holly that first came into the UFC and strikes with Kayla, it’s not going to go Kayla’s direction at all."

Pennington will no doubt be paying more attention to Harrison's threat should she impress on debut opposite "The Preacher's Daughter" in April.

For now, though, it appears that a grudge match with fellow TUF 18 competitor Julianna Peña is on the champ's radar. With injury keeping "The Venezuelan Vixen" out of January's vacant title fight, she's expected to mark the first challenger in the reign of Pennington.