Kayla Harrison, the judo star who moved on to MMA and managed to combine a brutal style that destroys her rivals

MMA fighter, Kayla Harrison (31), she knows what it means to compete and win: she has been doing it since she was very young.

Not everyone can be the holder of two Olympic gold medals in judo (the first in history in that discipline for the USA, in London 2012, and Rio 2016), in addition to winning twice the million dollar prize from the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and stay undefeated in 13 fights.

While these numbers may be an excuse for anyone to lower the intensity of the competition, their ambition for success doesn’t stop. On Friday 1 July he will face the Canadian giulia bud in its second presentation of the year.

One of the successes of the PFL was to sign a multi-year contract with her, which she confessed to having decided to fight there and not in another company (such as UFC or Bellator) due to the passion with which the authorities negotiated. .

There are many Olympic medalists from different disciplines who have successfully turned to MMA, in this sense, when it comes to Olympic and USA judo, the comparison with Ronda Rousey seems impossible. Kayla hope you have more luck That “rowdy“, who turned to WWE when he put together a couple of frustrating losses in 2016.

In his premiere in the 2022 season, he beat Marina Mokhnatkina by unanimous decision, a not so conclusive victory that has fueled her detractors, who criticize her because – they say – she has not yet faced the big names in sport.

One such criticism came from the UFC bantamweight champion, Giuliana Penawho beat Amanda Nunes to win the belt, which is considered by many to be the GOAT (the best, for ‘the greatest of all time’). He said he takes the “easier way out” to continue competing with “minor league athletes”.

Kayla ignored him and denied that the PFL is inferior to the UFC, he also challenged Peña: he wants to fight with everyone. “My goal is to be the best and that means you have to beat the best. I have great admiration for Julianna and for the amazing career she has had,” she said. Clarione.

“I will never back down from a competitionand if there was an opportunity to organize that fight, I know it would be the one the fans wouldn’t want to lose, “he said of a possible crossover between the companies to finalize it.

-How do you rate your performance at the start of the PFL season?

-It wasn’t the best. She wanted to go out there and continue dominating for the enjoyment of the fans. Sometimes not all is well, but the credit goes to Marina for fighting well. I am now focused on my next fight and taking care of the business to advance to the playoffs.

-You started 2018 as a pro and you are already 13-0. Is staying undefeated an extra motivation?

-Up to a certain point, but I try to get out on the track and be the best version of myself. I have dedicated my life to this profession and there is no one who works harder than me. The goal never changes inside the cage, I enter hoping to win, and it’s a credit to my coaches and to the team that formed me to be the fighter I am today.

-What motivated you to compete in MMA?

-I have been a competitor all my life and MMA was the next challenge that was presented to me … Something I wanted to tackle. As a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, MMA was a logical next step for me and I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to showcase my talents in the PFL. I am motivated to be the best MMA fighter on the planet.

-Do you prefer to be an MMA champion or an Olympic gold medalist?

– Why choose one when you can be both? I think they are both unique and incredibly memorable in their own way and it took me the work and dedication to be in this position. Being an Olympic gold medalist is something that prepared me for success that I had in the next phase of my career: it wouldn’t be one thing without the other.

The rules of the EPFL

It is a different tournament than what is known as GP (Grand Prix), as it has rules with the sum of points per fight and other variations that make it attractive. Compete in a regular season, playoff and league.

In the eliminatory rounds, which determine who arrives and the positions of each fighter, the fights distribute three points for a win and one for a draw. But even three if you win in the first round, two in the second and one in the third.

The quarter-finals and semifinals take place on the same day, with the first matches lasting two rounds and the semifinals lasting three. The fighters who reach the quarter-finals receive $ 50,000, the semi-finals $ 100,000, the finalists $ 200,000 and the champion $ 1 million.