Tag: Kayla Harrison

Kayla Harrison Discloses Hospitalization Due To Infection Prior to UFC 307

Kayla Harrison recently revealed that she faced a challenging health battle, as she was hospitalized for serious infections in the lead-up to her UFC 307 fight. Harrison secured a significant victory against Ketlen Vieira last weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. However, as most had anticipated, the triumph was far from […]

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Discloses Hospitalization Due To Infection Prior to UFC 307 at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison recently revealed that she faced a challenging health battle, as she was hospitalized for serious infections in the lead-up to her UFC 307 fight.

Harrison secured a significant victory against Ketlen Vieira last weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. However, as most had anticipated, the triumph was far from straightforward for the two-time Olympic gold medalist, as “Fenomeno” tested her resilience and caused a cut on her forehead during the intense second round.

The former PFL lightweight champion displayed her superiority against Vieira, growing stronger as the fight unfolded and eventually securing a unanimous decision win. However, this marked the first time in her MMA career that the 34-year-old Ohio native truly faced adversity inside the cage.

It has now come to light that Harrison’s performance may have been compromised due to her hospitalization just a week before the fight…

Harrison Shares She Was Taking Antibiotics Ahead Of UFC 307

During a recent interview with MMAFightingonSBN, Harrison disclosed that she battled a serious infection that required her to take antibiotics leading up to her fight at UFC 307, which ultimately resulted in her hospitalization.

“I don’t really like to make excuses,” Harrison said. “I had to go to the hospital last week. There was blood in my urine. I had a really bad infection that started spreading. I was on antibiotics. I had blood in my urine. There was a bunch of stuff going on, but it’s not an excuse. I have to be the best in the world on my worst day.”

Harrison further shared that she gained valuable insights about herself and recognized aspects she can incorporate into her training for future fights.

“Some of the decisions I made it’s going to be good for me. I ate too much I think after I weighed in. I was just so hungry; I think I overdid it. I felt kind of sick on Saturday because I ate too much. I need to do a better job of staying disciplined even after I weigh in. I need to follow the game plan. There’s a lot of stuff I can improve on.”

Harrison has triumphed in both of her Octagon appearances and is actively campaigning for a title shot. In her promotional debut at UFC 300 this past April, she secured a unanimous decision victory in the second round against former champion Holly Holm.

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Discloses Hospitalization Due To Infection Prior to UFC 307 at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison Hospitalized for ‘Peeing Blood’ Before UFC 307 Due to Brutal Weight Cut

Kayla Harrison Hospitalized for ‘Peeing Blood’ Before UFC 307 Due to Brutal Weight CutKayla Harrison spent some time in the hospital before her sophomore appearance inside the Octagon. After a destructive first-round…

Kayla Harrison Hospitalized for ‘Peeing Blood’ Before UFC 307 Due to Brutal Weight Cut

Kayla Harrison spent some time in the hospital before her sophomore appearance inside the Octagon.

After a destructive first-round finish against Holly Holm in April, the two-time Olympic gold medalist returned to action on Saturday night in Salt Lake City for a scrap with No. 2 ranked bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira. Though she was listed as a -1000 favorite on a majority of sportsbooks, Harrison faced a fair amount of adversity against the Brazilian.

Kayla Harrison

During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Harrison revealed that she had faced some pre-fight struggles, including a trip to the hospital after discovering that she was urinating blood a way out from fight night.

“I’m still learning, I’m still growing,” Harrison said. “I feel like there’s a lot of room for improvement for me. It definitely wasn’t my best night in the cage. There were a lot of things that happened.

“I don’t like to make excuses. I had to go to the hospital the week before I was like peeing blood and there was some stuff going on. So, I don’t like to make excuses, but I definitely wasn’t my best inside the cage Saturday night. And I know I can be better and grow from it” (h/t MMA Mania).

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Kayla Harrison may take some time off following brutal weight cut

Still, Harrison came out on top via unanimous decision, putting herself at the front of the line for a shot at new 135-pound champion Julianna Pena.

Unfortunately, it sounds like Harrison could be sidelined for a bit after enduring another rough cut down to the bantamweight limit.

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“I need to take a little time off because of the weight cut and the process,” Harrison added. “Do you want the truth? I’m just not built to weigh 135 pounds. Anytime I get under the 150s, it’s not pleasant.

“The first time was fear of, ‘Can I do it?’ And this time, it was fear of like, ‘Oh, God, I have to do it.’ You know, like the anticipation.”

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Chael Sonnen: Kayla Harrison Not Next In Line For UFC Title Shot Based On ‘Merit’ 

If the UFC was to favor a meritocratic route to decide the first challenger to Julianna Peña, former fighter Chael Sonnen believes Raquel Pennington would be getting an immediate rematch. Having not competed since being unseated by Amanda Nunes back in July 2022, Peña returned to the bantamweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 307 […]

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen: Kayla Harrison Not Next In Line For UFC Title Shot Based On ‘Merit’  at MMA News.

If the UFC was to favor a meritocratic route to decide the first challenger to Julianna Peña, former fighter Chael Sonnen believes Raquel Pennington would be getting an immediate rematch.

Having not competed since being unseated by Amanda Nunes back in July 2022, Peña returned to the bantamweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City.

“The Venezuelan Vixen” fell on the right side of a widely debated split decision verdict in Utah, bringing a short reign for Pennington to an end in the co-main event.

Some were pointing to the recent numbered card as a tournament for the 135-pound division, with top contenders Kayla Harrison and Ketlen Vieira meeting earlier in the night.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champion emerged victorious from that clash on the scorecards, seemingly booking a first UFC title shot.

Sonnen, however, thinks the conversation isn’t quite so clear-cut…

Sonnen Puts Pennington Above Harrison In Meritocratic Title Shot Queue

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen reacted to the events that unfolded in regard to the bantamweight championship conversation at UFC 307.

While Sonnen acknowledged that Harrison is likely to compete for the gold in her third walk to the Octagon, he suggested that wouldn’t be the case if the decision was based on “merit.”

“When we’re having the discussion of what’s next, I think it would be responsible for us all — because if we’re just coming from a competitive nature or looking at the rankings, something like that, you lose, you don’t get Kayla. You get Raquel,” Sonnen said. “If you’re gonna just pay attention to merit and who’s done what, you don’t get Kayla vs. Peña next, you get Raquel in a rematch.

“From the world of promotion, there is nothing on Peña vs. Pennington in a rematch. But guys, there was nothing on it three days ago when we saw it,” Sonnen continued. “We’re not in a vastly different situation. If we’re just going to go off of merit, Pennington must be considered. That’s what I’m offering for you. Pennington should be the champion of the world right now.”

Regardless, Harrison is expecting to receive her opportunity next time out, having started life on MMA’s biggest stage with consecutive wins over top-five opposition at 135 pounds.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen: Kayla Harrison Not Next In Line For UFC Title Shot Based On ‘Merit’  at MMA News.

Julianna Peña Downplays Harrison’s Performance Against Vieira: ‘She Didn’t Do Anything’

Julianna Peña Downplays Harrison’s Performance Against Vieira: ‘She Didn’t Do Anything’Julianna Pena was not impressed with Kayla Harrison’s sophomore appearance inside the Octagon. On Saturday, both Pena and Harrison…

Julianna Peña Downplays Harrison’s Performance Against Vieira: ‘She Didn’t Do Anything’

Julianna Pena was not impressed with Kayla Harrison’s sophomore appearance inside the Octagon.

On Saturday, both Pena and Harrison returned to MMA’s biggest stage as part of the promotion’s UFC 307 card in Salt Lake City. In the co-main event of the evening, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ recaptured the bantamweight championship via a controversial split decision victory over Raquel Pennington.

Julianna Pena

Immediately following the fight, Pena called for a trilogy bout with former two-division queen Amanda Nunes despite ‘The Lioness’ retiring from the sport last year following a dominant win against Irene Aldana at UFC 289.

“When I saw Amanda retire that day, I was sitting cageside, and I was booing because I didn’t believe she was truly done,” Peña said at the post-UFC 307 press conference. “You hear Dana White saying that he thinks she retired too early, and then you watch her and I think she’s just twiddling her thumbs and saying, ‘What am I doing? I’m bored. Who am I if I’m not fighting in the UFC?’

“I truly do not believe she’s done. She retired too early. I think that she’s looking for something to do. That, to me, is the biggest fight in women’s mixed martial arts history because we’re 1-1,” Peña said. “My fight against her was so dominant, I made her tap. Our second time, I ran out of time. I lost a decision handily, fine. No problem. But it would be nice to put it to bed once and for all and get that trilogy fight that she ran away from” (h/t Middle Easy).

Julianna Pena was not impressed with the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s performance

In reality, Pena’s next opponent will likely be Harrison who claimed her second-straight win and 18th overall to kick off Saturday’s main card in The Crossroads of the West. The two-time Olympic gold medalist handily defeated No. 2 ranked contender Ketlen Vieira.

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That should put Harrison next in line, but Pena doesn’t seem too keen on giving the former PFL champion a shot at the gold.

“To be honest, I’ll tell you, I was warming up and focusing on my own fight,” Peña said when asked about Harrison’s performance. “But, with that being said, I had my coaches there watching the fight [and] kind of giving me the 4-1-1 on what was going down. We’re not impressed. She said she was gonna put an elbow through her skull, and she was gonna do all this damage. Like, the girl [Vieira] didn’t have a scratch on her. It was boring, and she didn’t do anything that jumped off the pages like, ‘Ooh, the boogeyman.’ You know what I mean? So I was definitely, especially hearing from my team, not impressed.

“If Amanda cowers away, again, and does not come back and fight me then yes. Kayla brings a lot of eyeballs and a lot of attention to the sport and I love that.”

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5 Fights We Need to See After UFC 307

Alex Pereira took out another dangerous contender at UFC 307, but his toughest test as light heavyweight champion is probably still to come. Pereira was back…

Alex Pereira took out another dangerous contender at UFC 307, but his toughest test as light heavyweight champion is probably still to come. Pereira was back…