UFC commentator Jon Anik has given his thoughts on the star power potential of bantamweight contender Kayla Harrison.
This weekend, Kayla Harrison will attempt to claim UFC gold for the first time in her career. She will challenge Julianna Pena for the FUC women’s bantamweight championship, and while many consider her to be the favorite, that’s certainly no guarantee of success – not by a long shot.
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Harrison is an excellent fighter in her own right but this is easily the biggest fight of her career to date. If she’s going to win the belt, she’ll have to put in the performance of a lifetime.
In a recent interview, Jon Anik gave his thoughts on how far Kayla could go in the promotion.
Anik’s view on Harrison
“Global traction is different than domestic momentum and traction, and I think that’s an important distinction here,” Anik told MMA Junkie Radio. “Because I think Ilia Topuria globally has a ton of traction, but I can’t sit here to you and suggest that he’s some massive superstar in the United States of America.
“Kayla Harrison has the potential to be a face – if not the face – of women’s mixed martial arts if she has the undisputed UFC bantamweight championship around her shoulder. And not once, but twice she struck Olympic gold representing the stars and stripes of the United States of America.
“So, I think the potential for Kayla Harrison would be vast. Not just internationally, but particularly domestically to really gain some steam and just be trotted around on every big show here in the U.S. Her story, too, is unbelievable. The adopted children, you know, for her family. I’d love to see Kayla Harrison’s story really get told on a huge scale, especially in the U.S.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
