Kayla Harrison: 'I'm going to draw back the GOAT and then I will be the GOAT'
04/15/2024 02:15 PM
Two-time Olympic Gold medalist and former PFL champion Kayla Harrison made her octagon debut at UFC 300 against former bantamweight titleholder Holly Holm.
Harrison thoroughly dominated Holm on her way to a second-round submission win. The biggest battle Harrison faced was cutting the weight. She last competed in November at 150-pounds.
"The entire camp I was scared, not of the fight, of the weight," Harrison said on The MMA Hour. "I was scared. I haven't weighed 135 pounds since I was 16-years old."
"I walked away from millions of dollars of pretty much guaranteed money to gamble on this. To take a chance," Harrison continued. "This was my dream. This is why I started MMA in the first place, so let's go. Let's do it, but I was all in. I didn't know if I was going to make weight. I can't believe I made weight.
With the weight cut and a debut win behind her, Harrison wants a title shot. Holm entered UFC 300 ranked fifth. Harrison became an instant contender with the win especially it being so one-sided.
"I want my title next," Harrison said in her post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. "That's what I came over here for. One thing and one thing only, so I don't care if it's Raquel [Pennington]. I don't care if it's Julianna [Pena]. By the end of the year I will be UFC champion."
Harrison has bigger plans than just winning the UFC women's bantamweight championship. She has her eyes set on the women's GOAT, Amanda Nunes. Nunes retired and vacated the belt following her UFC 289 over Irene Aldana. Harrison is plotting to draw her back to the cage.
"The first one, I didn't even know if I was going to make weight. I didn't know. That was a leap of faith. I signed that contract," Harrison said. "It's all working out how it's meant to work out. Now I'm going to fight for a UFC title and then I'm going to draw back the GOAT and then I will be the GOAT."
