Former PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison will be dropping 20lbs to lightweight to face Holly Holm in her promotional debut at UFC 300.
It was revealed that Harrison had signed with the UFC and she would make her debut at UFC 300 against the former champ in Holm. It was a massive fight for her, but the bigger story was the fact that she would be dropping down to bantamweight, which Harrison says was a mental hurdle for her.
“To their credit, they did not beat around the bush,” Harrison told MMA Junkie of the UFC’s negotiation. “It was very clear that if you want to fight here, this is the weight you’re going to fight at, and that was a big mental hurdle for me to get through – just figure out: Can I do this? Is this what I want to do? It’s hard, because most people don’t realize that I’ve been training two-a-day since I was 12 years old.
“There was definitely a piece of me that was like, ‘F*ck that. You’ve done enough. Why would you spend the last part of your career cutting an extra 10 pounds? Like, why?’ Then there was another part piece of me that was like, ‘Well, we grow at the edges of our comfort zone, and this is you being all in. It doesn’t get much harder than this. You’re cutting to a new weight class, you’re fighting in the promotion, and you’re fighting the legend. This is it. You’re either all in or not in.’ I liked that, and I think that brings out the best version of me,” Harrison added.
Kayla Harrison not worried about depleting herself
Despite Kayla Harrison cutting down more weight, she doesn’t expect that will impact her chin or strength. Instead, she has confidence she will be able to compete at her best and secure a win over Holm.
“I don’t think I’m going to lose anything,” Harrison said. “I think we’re going to see the best version of me. I’ve been disciplined. I’ve been dedicated. I haven’t skipped any steps. I haven’t left a stone unturned. My team is all in, I’m all in, my family’s all in, and I think I’m about to shine really f*cking bright.”
If Harrison can get past Holm, the Olympic gold medalist could get a title shot at 135lbs next time out.
