Tag: Kayla Harrison

Kyla Harrison rolls her eyes at mention of Cris Cyborg helping Holly Holm train for UFC 300

If her body language is any indication, it’s safe to say Kayla Harrison is now completely annoyed by Cris Cyborg.

MIAMI – If her body language is any indication, it’s safe to say [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is now completely annoyed by [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag].

For almost two years, Harrison and Cyborg went back and forth calling each other out for a superfight while they were in PFL and Bellator, respectively. A path to a showdown was paved when PFL acquired Bellator late last year, but those plans changed after Harrison signed with the UFC.

Now Harrison is set to make her promotional debut as a bantamweight against former champion Holly Holm on April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. With about six weeks until UFC 300, who visited Jackson Wink MMA last month to help Holm with her training?

None other than Cyborg – who beat Holm in a UFC featherweight title fight back in December 2017.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C31pJQPMYyW/

When asked about this during a UFC 300 Q&A on Friday at Kaseya Center, Harrison immediately rolled her eyes before throwing some shade.

“Who?” Harrison said. “God, she just loves to stir the f*cking pot, doesn’t she? Go home already. Nobody cares.”

With Cyborg clearly in her rearview, Harrison, a two-time PFL lightweight champion and Olympic gold medalist in judo, can’t wait to get this UFC chapter of her career started. And she’s especially thrilled to be facing a “legend” like Holm.

“I don’t use the word ‘legend’ lightly, but I think Holly is very much a legend in the sport,” Harrison said. “(She’s) been in the top 10 for years now, been a former champ. I didn’t come over here to see how I can do and fight amongst everyone. I’m here to come over and win a UFC title and finish my career on top, so Holly’s a good start to that.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Video: Is Kayla Harrison’s first cut to bantamweight cause for concern or much ado about nothing?

Yes, it’s a lot of weight, but everyone could be overreacting to Kayla Harrison’s cut ahead of UFC 300.

Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] stated last week that she has some concerns about [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]’s debut at 135 pounds ahead of their showdown at UFC 300 in April.

Harrison has competed mostly as a lightweight in MMA, winning two PFL titles at 155 poiunds, once as a featherweight, and a late-notice fight at a 150-pound catchweight. At 42, Holm knows this is likely her final run at reclaiming UFC gold, but Harrison missing weight as she tries to cut 20 extra pounds for the first time could cause issues.

To be fair, Harrison hasn’t had a check mark go against her in that department, so it remains to be seen how this will play out. But does this fight booking between Harrison and Holm at all seem shaky, or are we comfortable with the matchup? Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Nolan King, Danny Segura and Brian “Goze” Garcia answer that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

[lawrence-related id=2712420,2712224,2711904]

You can watch their discussion in the video above, and check out the full episode below on YouTube.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Cris Cyborg headed to Albuquerque to help Holly Holm train for Kayla Harrison fight at UFC 300

Cris Cyborg will give Holly Holm a helping hand in her preparation for Kayla Harrison.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] will give [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] a helping hand in her preparation for [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag].

Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) welcomes Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to the octagon and bantamweight division on April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. Holm challenged Cyborg for the UFC featherweight title in December 2017, but lost a unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night effort.

With Harrison parting ways with PFL, Bellator featherweight champion Cyborg won’t get her long-desired fight with the two-time Olympic gold medalist. She will however play her part, when she travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to assist Holm.

“I already have a date to go to Albuquerque – I’m very excited,” Cyborg said on her YouTube channel. “I talked to the team, talked to Holly – we’ve been studying Kayla for a little while already. I have been training for her already.  I’m a superfan of Holly Holm. I think she’s a legend. She’s a big example for female fighters. (I’ll) be a part of her camp, and I think she’s going to come with a great victory. It’s going to be good.”

Cyborg (27-2-1) has now turned her attention to Larissa Pacheco (23-4), who defeated Harrison to win her first of back-to-back PFL titles. However, she’s yet to hear anything and her patience is starting to grow thin.

“I had some (Bellator) fights on my contract, and I’d like to make some fights on my contract,” Cyborg said. “I know one (potential fight) is Larissa, but we have to work and see what’s going to happen.”

[lawrence-related id=2711575,2711547,2707285,2713853]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Kayla Harrison ahead of UFC 300: Holly Holm ‘the toughest fight in the division for me’

As far as Kayla Harrison is concerned, what better way to kick off her UFC career than a fight with Holly Holm.

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] sees [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] as the sternest test in the UFC bantamweight division.

Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her 135-pound debut against former champion Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) on April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champion is happy to be making her UFC debut on a historic event.

“To be going to the Olympics of MMA on UFC 300 against Holly Holm, a legend in the sport, I’m so excited, I’m so amped,” Harrison told TMZ. “This is the sh*t that gets me going, and yeah, I’m ready.”

With a combat sports resume filled with incredible accomplishments, Harrison would love to cap off her storied athletic career with a UFC title. She knows she has her hands full against Holm, who holds two wins over current UFC bantamweight title holder Raquel Pennington, and a legendary head-kick knockout of Ronda Rousey, among other career highlights.

“There’s one last mountain to climb, and that’s UFC gold,” Harrison said. “That’s what I’m coming for. That’s what my goal is. Holly Holm is a step to that. … I think that Holly is the toughest fight in the division for me. First of all, her boxing pedigree. Her record – she’s fought all of the best girls.

“She’s always in the mix, she’s always at the top, she’s been around the sport for a long time, she’s a super veteran, she knows what she’s doing, she’s a former champion, and she’s an MMA fighter. Her grappling has gotten a lot better. You know her footwork is top notch. Her fight IQ is through the roof. She is f*cking good. She’s one of the greats.”

[lawrence-related id=2712420,2712224,2712130,2712040]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Kayla Harrison addresses concerns over bantamweight cut for UFC 300: ‘I’m not saying it’s going to be easy’

Kayla Harrison is aware that her cut to bantamweight is going to take some work.

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is aware that her cut to bantamweight is going to take some work.

Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her 135-pound debut against former champion Holly Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) on April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas.

Two-time PFL winner Harrison has predominantly competed at lightweight throughout her career, but dismissed the notion that she competed with a big size advantage. But cutting down to bantamweight will give her that.

“There’s a misperception out there that I walk around at like 180 pounds or something,” Harrison told Kevin Iole. “I have walked around most of my MMA career at 165, 160, because I don’t like cutting weight. I don’t believe in cutting weight. I don’t think it sends the right message to kids. That being said, I don’t agree with this, but sometimes you have to show up and do things you don’t agree with in order to make your dreams come true. The whole time I was (in the PFL), I walked around at 165, maybe 160, and so not only was I usually the smaller fighter with less experience, I was getting in the cage with girls who were getting in there at 180, 175 pounds.

“Now that’s not going to be the case. Now I’m going to be the bigger, stronger, faster and, in a lot of cases I believe, the more experienced fighter. It’s a case, I think, that I started off backwards, beginning (at the higher weight) but I was able to be successful because of my pedigree and the skill set that I brought to MMA. But now I have experience and now I am seasoned. The weight (cut) part’s going to suck, but it sucks for everyone and I’m not special.”

Harrison is confident she will make the weight. She has already tested the process out successfully, even though it wasn’t easy.

“I wouldn’t have made the move if I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it,” Harrison said. “We did a test cut. Everything was measured, from my heart rate to my blood pressure to my blood sugar. We did a test recovery. We did a test simulated fight. Everything has been dialed in and everything has been tested. I’m really confident in my team and I’m really confident in myself. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but the things in life that are worth having are usually not easy (to obtain).”

[lawrence-related id=2712224,2712130,2712040,2711904]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Fresh Ink: Meet the 3 fighters the UFC signed in January 2024

Find out who joined the UFC in January and learn more about them here.

The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.

Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or rare straight-up additions. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.

“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.

Check out the January 2024 list below.

Raquel Pennington expects Kayla Harrison to be exposed in UFC: ‘She hasn’t truly been challenged’

Raquel Pennington expects Kayla Harrison to have a rough debut vs. Holly Holm at UFC 300 and beyond.

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] expects a rough UFC debut for [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag].

Two-time PFL lightweight champion Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her bantamweight debut against former champion Holly Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) on April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas.

Like many others, Pennington wonders how the first-time cut to 136 pounds will impact Harrison. But the reigning UFC bantamweight champion isn’t sure if Harrison will be able to hang with elite-level competition in the UFC.

“I was wondering if she was ever going to sign with the UFC,” Pennington said on Sirius XM’s “Unlocking the Cage.” “There’s been a lot of talk throughout the years, but she’s been successful in PFL. My biggest question honestly is how is she going to make the weight? She’s a very dense chick. There’s no denying that.

“I feel like, as far as coming into the UFC, a lot of athletes haven’t truly been challenged, and I feel like she hasn’t truly been challenged in the PFL. To now come in and have this platform, that’s going to give her a run for her money for sure. She has a huge hype following her, but I think she’s going to be exposed a little bit. First and foremost, the hardest part of this is making the weight.”

Pennington, who’s lost to Holm twice, believes the former champion has lost a step. But if Holm can keep the fight with two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka Harrison standing, Pennington pictures a bad night for Harrison.

“I feel like Holly is at a point in her career where she’s older, and I don’t mean that in any bad way, but things get tough when you get older as an athlete,” Pennington said. “It takes a different toll on your body and stuff, and she’s been around for a very long time.

“I feel like her last few fights, she hasn’t had that ‘it’ anymore. She’s been battling different injuries and stuff, and it just feels like she’s on her way out. But I feel like if Holly actually brings back the Holly that first came into the UFC and strikes with Kayla, it’s not going to go Kayla’s direction at all.”

[lawrence-related id=2712130,2712040,2711904,2711657]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Henry Cejudo: Kayla Harrison has time to make bantamweight for UFC 300, ‘but will she recover?’

Henry Cejudo is confident Kayla Harrison makes bantamweight but wonders how it will impact her.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is confident [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] makes bantamweight but wonders how it will impact her.

Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her bantamweight debut against former UFC champ Holly Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) at UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas.

Harrison has never competed at 135 pounds, but UFC CEO Dana White assured that the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka has already undergone multiple test cuts.

“Does she have the time to make it? One hundred percent,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “But will she recover? That’s the biggest question.”

Holm recently said she likely won’t fight two-time PFL lightweight champion Harrison if she misses weight, and Cejudo doesn’t blame her.

“She needs to make the weight if she wants to compete, and if she doesn’t make the weight, it seems like Holly Holm wouldn’t fight her,” Cejudo said. “Is Holly Holm wrong? No. Kayla Harrison has won her championships at a higher division.

“They (PFL) had a division for her… Holly Holm is not wrong. Could a girl like Kayla Harrison make 135 pounds? And it’s not just about making it, guys. It’s about competing. Could she make it? 100 percent. Does she have enough water and enough fat – she has a lot of muscle and muscle is water.”

Due to their judo backgrounds, the matchup against Harrison has instantly drawn comparisons to the one against Ronda Rousey, who Holm knocked out in November 2015 to claim the UFC bantamweight title.

“Stylistically, Holly Holm has fought everybody, but why don’t we take it back to her fighting Ronda Rousey, a judoka, someone who knows that particular area of just getting people to the ground, using your hips… look what Holly Holm was able to do,” Cejudo said.

“If the judo of Kayla Harrison doesn’t work against Holly Holm, how do you think this fight is going to end up? Could this be Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm part two? Because I tell you right now, the winner of this fight is going to be guaranteed the next title shot.”

[lawrence-related id=2711904,2711657,2711658,2711579]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Video: Was Kayla Harrison’s UFC signing the right move all things considered?

It’ll be interesting to see how the next chapter of Kayla Harrison’s career plays out as a UFC bantamweight.

In news that came as a surprise, UFC CEO Dana White announced the promotion’s signing of [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] last week and that her debut would come against former champion Holly Holm at UFC 300 – at bantamweight!

Harrison, a two-time PFL champion at lightweight, has never fought at 135 pounds and most certainly leaves a superfight with Bellator featherweight champ Cris Cyborg on the table after leaving for the UFC.

All things considered, was signing with the UFC the right move for Harrison? And how big of a loss is this for the PFL? Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia answer those questions with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, and check out this week’s full episode below on YouTube.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 22-28)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 22-28.