Kayla Harrison on falling for judo at six: ‘I believe in love at first sight, that was it for me’

The US-born Kayla Harrison arrives at UFC 316 after a fast and profitable transition from judo to blended martial arts. After a dominant UFC debut over Holly Holm at UFC 300 and a unanimous determination win in opposition to Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307, which secured her title shot. Harrison’s background as a judoka is central to her combating fashion. She is thought for her highly effective floor sport and heavy ground-and-pound, attributes which have made her probably the most standard feminine fighters in MMA immediately.

Kayla Harrison And Judo

A two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, Kayla Harrison, traces her love for the game again to her childhood. At six years outdated, Harrison was impressed by a karate industrial on tv, which led her mom, who had taken judo in school, to introduce her to the native dojo. “I don’t know what it was about judo particularly, however I undoubtedly consider in love at first sight as a result of I fell in love. That was it. I by no means performed every other sports activities rising up. It was simply judo,” Harrison mentioned, in a latest interview.

Kayla Harrison’s dedication to judo rapidly turned obvious, and her expertise was confirmed when she received the junior world championships in Thailand at age 18. “I used to be like, ‘Oh wow, I’m good at this. I received an enormous event. That is good,’” she recalled. Harrison went on to make historical past on the 2012 London Olympics, turning into the primary American to win Olympic gold in judo, and repeated her success on the 2016 Rio Video games.

Her achievements had been acknowledged on the highest ranges, together with her black belt displayed within the Smithsonian Museum. “Typically I nonetheless can’t consider it. Typically I’m like, ‘The Smithsonian has my black belt within the museum as a result of I received the primary gold medal for our nation.’ I’m similar to, ‘What?’ It’s loopy. But it surely additionally taught me that you are able to do something you set your thoughts to—even when nobody’s executed it earlier than, it’s nonetheless doable,” Harrison defined.

UFC 316

After her Olympic profession, Kayla Harrison transitioned to MMA, becoming a member of the PFL in 2018. She rapidly established herself as a dominant pressure, successful the PFL ladies’s light-weight event twice and compiling an undefeated file till 2022. Harrison’s success in MMA led to her signing with the UFC in early 2024, the place she made her debut with a decisive win over former bantamweight champion Holly Holm at UFC 300.

Upcoming this weeken at UFC 316, Julianna Peña will look to defend her world championship in opposition to Harrison. Whereas some, together with former champion Valentina Shevchenko, have predicted a tricky evening for Kayla Harrison, oddsmakers presently favor the Olympic champion. If Harrison wins, she is going to grow to be solely the second fighter to carry each an Olympic gold medal and a UFC title, additional solidifying her legacy as probably the most achieved athletes in fight sports activities.

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