For the most part, Kayla
Harrison has been an extremely active competitor since making
her professional mixed martial arts debut in 2018.
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With the exception of the COVID-altered 2020 campaign, the two-time
Olympic gold medalist fought at least three times a year — and
usually four — from 2018 through 2022. That changed this year, when
Harrison was sidelined as the Professional Fighters League
introduced a featherweight division. The two-time 155-pound
champion
revealed earlier in the year that it wasn’t necessarily her
choice to sit out the season. However, she gained valuable
perspective in multiple aspects of her life during her
downtime.
Much of that had little to do with fighting.
“I was still in the gym training every day. I went from training
twice a day pretty much year round to training once a day, focusing
on where I can get better — a lot of the holes in my game,”
Harrison said during a PFL media day. “But the biggest gains I feel
like I made mentally and I would argue, even spiritually. I grew as
a person and I kind of found out who I was if I wasn’t Kayla
Harrison ‘Olympic champion’, if I wasn’t Kayla
Harrison ‘world champion’ — if I was just Kayla.
“It has brought me a peace, and God has brought me a peace that
can’t be f—ed with. It’s a great time for me. I’m feeling good. I’m
excited. I just have a totally different mindset going into this
year and this fight, just one of gratitude vs. pressure. It’s been
fantastic.”
Harrison will make her first appearance of 2023 when she faces
Aspen
Ladd in a 150-pound catchweight showcase fight on the main card
of the PFL Championship event on Nov. 24 in Washington, D.C. The
evening’s main card is available on pay-per-view via ESPN+
beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
While Harrison has a different mindset than in previous years, her
goals within MMA haven’t changed.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “I did have to get really still and
examine my life, goals and choices and figure out is this what I
really want. There’s still that fire in my heart, there’s still
that desire to go down as undeniably one of the greatest to ever do
it.”
During those months at American Top Team without having a fight of
her own scheduled, Harrison says she was able to work on areas of
her game while serving as a training partner for her teammates.
That allowed her to focus on specific weaknesses without the
concern of an upcoming opponent.
“Fighting is a solo sport, but you really have to have people
around you to test you, push you and make you uncomfortable in
order to get with that next level,” she said. “I’ve been training
and being uncomfortable with no goal for 10 months. I was in the
gym every day and uncertain — but certain that I wanted to be there
and get better.
“I did only striking rounds. I did rounds where I’m only on the
bottom. I did rounds where there’s eight-time BJJ world champions
on my back trying to take my neck off. I’ve done rounds where
there’s world-class kickboxers trying to kick my head off. I think
that has allowed me the space to grow and realize that MMA is like
everything else: You’ve got to find a way, dig deep, you’ve got to
figure it out and keep your composure.”
Harrison’s last fight produced one of 2022 biggest upsets, as she
dropped a unanimous decision to Larissa
Pacheco — someone she had beaten twice previously — in the
lightweight final. It was really the only time Harrison was truly
tested. On most occasions, she dictated the action against
overwhelmed opposition.
“I think it’s safe to say for my previous 15 fights I was kind of a
front-runner and I was kind of a bully,” she said. “I just went in
there and did my thing. There are going to be times that you don’t
win every exchange of every round. How you handle that is
important. I got comfortable there.”
With nearly a full year of experience in the gym accompanied by a
newfound inner peace, Harrison could be that much more dangerous as
a fighter.
“I think I’m coming into this year and this fight as a different
fighter completely. I’m much more well rounded. I think my comfort
level has increased. I think my range finding ability, my striking,
just my fight IQ in general has gone up a level,” she said. “A lot
of it is confidence and comfort. I got really comfortable being
uncomfortable this past year and still trying to find a way to win.
… I just have a different level of composure inside the cage.”