The judo gold medalist is leaving it to the UFC to decide when and where she gets her shot at the women’s bantamweight title.
Kayla Harrison isn’t sweating reports that women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington will be fighting Juliana Pena in October.
Harrison made a big splash with her debut fight at UFC 300, defeating Holly Holm with relative ease in under two rounds. But she’s fine with Pena getting her long-awaited title shot which injuries have kept her from claiming for over a year. She discussed the news with press on the red carpet at Thursday’s UFC Hall of Fame ceremony.
“That’s what I heard too,” Harrison said about Pennington vs. Pena on October 5th. “That’s above my pay grade, my friend. We gotta talk to Hunter [Campbell] and Sean [Shelby] and Mick [Maynard] and Dana [White]. I know that they have a good plan for me. I believe in in this company. I believe in their vision. And if they need me to smash another skull before I smash one of their skulls, that’s fine.”
The two-time Olympic judo gold medalist wants to get back into action soon, and likes the idea of fighting on the same card as the women’s championship fight.
“I would love that. Yeah. I think that’s a good call just in case one of them gets nervous,” she said. “Listen: I will fight I’d fight both of them on the same night, so that’s fine. I’ll fight anyone. Not saying no to anybody.”
As for what Kayla has been up to over the past few months?
“I had to have surgery after my fight,” she revealed. “I had to have a ligament in my hand fixed, and then I got an infection. And to say that I went a little bit relaxed on the diet is an understatement, and it’s crazy how bad I felt when I wasn’t [on it]. I’m back on it now.”
“You know, 135 is not easy. It’s not a walk in the park. It took 12 weeks of me being superhuman and super focused to make that weight. And I have to do it again and again and again and again. So it’s gonna be lifestyle change.”
Harrison seemed relaxed and ready for whatever came her way, which she said was a departure from her time in the PFL.
“I know in the past I have been impatient or maybe not completely happy with where I’m at or what I’m doing,” she said. “But that’s not the case anymore. I truly believe that everything’s happening in the right moment, at the right time, at the right place, and I’m excited to be a part of this promotion. I feel like this is home to me and this is where I’ll finish my career, and with a hell of a lot of gold.”