Kayla Harrison Beats Julianna Pena By Submission to Win Bantamweight Title at UFC 316

The Kayla Harrison era has arrived.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist finally captured UFC gold at UFC 316 with a submission win over Julianna Peña in the second round of Saturday's co-main event.

It didn’t take long for Harrison to get the fight where she wanted it. She took down Peña in the first round and established herself as the better grappler. However, the biggest development in the opening round came when referee Vitor Ribeiro deducted a point from Peña for illegal upkicks. 

The first round was just a harbinger for the one-sided action to come in the second. Harrison once again mauled Peña and worked her way into the kimura that secured a tap from her opponent just as the horn sounded. 

Harrison had social media buzzing after her dominant performance to win her first UFC title. 

Harrison made headlines all the way back in 2018 when she made her MMA debut after a decorated career in Judo. Her success in the Olympics immediately drew comparisons to Ronda Rousey.

However, she signed with PFL where she won the lightweight tournament twice and compiled a one-loss record.

It took a while for Harrison to make her way to the UFC, but now she's joined Rousey as another successful Judoka to make the transition to MMA and become a UFC champion.

Fans might not have to wait too long for a dream matchup to come to fruition. Amanda Nunes was the most dominant fighter in women's MMA when Harrison was fighting for the PFL.

Now the Lioness might be coming out of retirement to meet the new champion, per ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

"I missed [fighting] so much," Nunes said ahead of UFC 316. "My baby is big now. She didn't sleep much at night [as a baby] and I was concerned about that because we fighters need sleep. But now, my baby is bigger and I'm ready to go. Kayla or Julianna, I'm going to be ready."

Nunes already had built-in history with Peña. They have split two fights. But pitting the Hall of Famer against a new champion with as much momentum as Harrison is an even bigger attraction.

Either way Harrison has etched her name in the history books and could be on her way to being the next big star in the division.