Kayla Harrison is at the top of the mountain in mixed martial arts and the young version of her with the big martial arts dreams seems to be soaking it all in. Harrison is coming off of a massive win in Newark as she submitted two time titleholder at 135 pounds Julianna Pena in the co-main event of UFC 316 when she secured a submission in the waning seconds of the second round.
The newly minted UFC bantamweight champion spoke with UFC.com’s McKenzie Pavacich in the wake of her title win during a backstage interview piece. Referencing her multiple Olympic gold medals in judo and now being the UFC champion which is representative of elite accomplishment in another martial art altogether, the former multi-time PFL champion was asked what it was like to become the best in the world at multiple combat sports and Harrison said,
“It’s crazy, because I was just a six-year-old kid with a dream. I watched the ’96 Olympics on my grandma’s couch—on my Mimi’s couch—and I was like, ‘I want to be the best at something someday.’ Then I started judo shortly after that, and I just loved it. I have a passion for it, and I love what I do now. It’s scary as—don’t get me wrong—every time I’m walking to the cage, I’m like, ‘Why am I doing this?’ But when you have passion and drive… I mean, it’s hard to even think about someone saying that. I do it because I love it.”
Kayla Harrison gets hero’s welcome from Dustin Poirier and other ATT compatriots
Kayla Harrison was also able to return to her gym as a champion and her American Top Team peers showered her with positive sentiments when she stepped through the gym doors holding the hardware. The visit took place on Monday with footage of the trip posted to both the official Instagram accounts for American Top Team and for Kayla Harrison herself. Current UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja and former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier were among some of the recognizable names that greeted Harrison as she hugged her teammates amid calls of “Yes, baby!!! We did it!”
