Former PFL women's lightweight champion Kayla Harrison will drop 20 pounds to lightweight to face Holly Holm in her promotional debut at UFC 300.
It has been revealed that Harrison has signed with the UFC and will make his debut against former champion Holm at UFC 300. It was a big fight for her, but the bigger story was the fact that she was moving down to bantamweight, and Harrison says that was a mental hurdle for her.
“To their credit, they didn’t do anything out of the blue,” Harrison told MMA Junkie about the UFC negotiations. “It was obvious that if I wanted to fight here, this was the weight I was going to fight at. That was a big mental hurdle for me to get over. Just think, 'Can I do this?' Think, “Is this what I want to do? It's difficult because most people don't realize that I've been training twice a day since I was 12 years old.
“There was definitely a part of me that was like, 'Fuck it.' I've done enough. Why spend the last years of my career trying to lose another 10 pounds? Why? Another part of me was like, 'Well, we grow on the edge of our comfort zone, and this is what you're doing all you can. It's harder than this. You're trying out new weight classes, competing in promotions, and battling legends. This is it. You're either in it all or you're not. I love it and I think it brings out the best version of me,” Harrison added.
Kayla Harrison isn't worried about running out of energy
Despite losing more weight, Kayla Harrison doesn't expect it to affect her jaw or strength. Rather, she fought at her best and she is confident that she can earn her victory over Holm.
“I don't think we lose anything,” Harrison said. “I think you'll see the best of me. I've been disciplined. I've been dedicated. I've never skipped a step. I haven't killed two birds with one stone. The team has also given their all. I think I'm going to do my best, and my family is going to do their best, and I'm going to really shine brightly from now on.”
If Harrison can get past Holm, the Olympic gold medalist could have a shot at the title next time at 135 pounds.
