Kayla Harrison is one of the brightest stars in women’s MMA yet has no obvious fights on the horizon. Now the former two-time PFL lightweight champion might take matters into her own hands and cut down two weight classes (20 pounds) to bantamweight, she told ESPN on Wednesday.
Harrison had considered it before, though not very seriously. This time, she said, it’s more real, even if it’s not necessarily something she wants to do.
“It really comes down to, how bad do I want it?” Harrison said. “How bad do I want to fight? What am I willing to sacrifice for my dreams? It’s tough, man. I might f— around and find out. I might try and do a test cut.”
The future options for Harrison in MMA are limited and it’s a major source of frustration for someone who won two Olympic gold medals in judo. Harrison said it looked like a superfight with Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg was set back in May, but Cyborg ended up re-signing with Bellator. Harrison said she was under the impression the bout was done and Cyborg, who had been a free agent, would be coming to the PFL.
“There were more than talks,” Harrison said. “There were negotiations, there were numbers thrown, contracts written, Super Bowl tickets…
