Kayla Harrison has a lot on her plate facing a former champion in Holly Holm in her octagon debut at UFC 300. But there may be an even bigger spotlight on what happens 24 hours before she sets foot in the cage.
For the first time in her career, the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist makes the cut to bantamweight. She’s spent almost her entire career at 155 pounds, outside of one fight at featherweight and a single 150-pound catchweight fight. Much has been made about her slimming down and staying competitive in her new weight class. But her longtime head coach, Mike Brown, isn’t nearly as concerned as everyone else seems to be.
“I thought she could do it,” Brown told MMA Fighting. “I thought that it’s a commitment, it’s not easy but it’s a weight cut. But she really wasn’t cutting weight at 155. She was fighting at lightweight and really she wasn’t a lightweight. That’s the weight class the PFL had. She was fighting girls much bigger than her in the PFL. I think her cutting some weight is actually going to be beneficial.
“I don’t know if 135 is the perfect, most optimal weight for her. Probably 145 [pounds] probably is but lightweight definitely is not her weight, also. She was fighting much bigger girls than her.”
Through posts on social media, Harrison has effectively documented the changes she’s made to her body before ever setting foot on the scale on Friday.
Still ripped and looking in shape, Harrison hasn’t shown any signs of struggles as she’s slowly but surely dropped the necessary weight to ensure he final cut won’t be devastating.
Brown acknowledged that Harrison will undoubtedly endure some struggles in those final hours before she makes the weight but that’s pretty much standard practice for most fighters competing at this level.
“I notice she’s leaner,” Brown said. “I don’t notice much besides that. She’s always improving and now she’s a little more shredded. Cleaned up her diet. It’s not that she eats bad but she probably was eating as much as she wanted. Now she’s probably a little more restrictive on how much she eats and a little leaner. As she’ll get closer, her nutritionist might have her drop the calories a little bit. She might have some practices that are a little tougher because she’s going to be a little lower in calories but once the weight cut’s over and she’s able to refuel and replenish.
“I’m more than confident she’s going to be just fine in the cage. She’ll be big and strong and I think she’ll be dominant. I expect her to win and be the best fighter in that weight class or any weight class.”
For all the questions and concerns about Harrison’s weight, Brown hasn’t spent much time contemplating what that will mean come Saturday. If anything, he’s expecting the best version of Harrison the world has ever seen.
“She’s in position to make it,” Brown said. “She has good people around her. She’s got Eric Pena helping her weight cut. He’s got a lot of experience, knows what he’s doing. He’s more than comfortable with it. I’m comfortable with it. I’m confident. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. I think she’ll be better than ever.”
Perhaps the biggest motivation that will keep Harrison on track to make weight will be the opportunity to finally face stiffer competition in the UFC. She largely ran roughshod over her opponents in the PFL outside of a lone loss to Larissa Pacheco, who she had already defeated twice previously.
That’s just another reason why Brown felt Harrison made the right move jumping to the UFC where she will compete on the biggest stage of her career.
“That’s why it was time,” Brown said. “[PFL] was a great place for her to start, to get her feet wet, learn how to fight. She went from zero fights into the PFL to 10 to 15 to 17 or 18 fights, whatever she has now. A veteran, a seasoned, world class mixed martial arts fighter. Obviously when she started there, she was not. She was a very talented, impressive prospect but there’s not substitution for experience and that was a perfect place to get it.
“I think the division really needs it. I think the division is really hurting for a star like Kayla. A dominant, impressive athlete like her. Obviously, she’s just operating at a different level. Since a very early age, training judo at a very high level, 100 percent focused, obviously has great genetics. Just the whole package. Now an experienced mixed martial arts resume as well. She’s at the top of her game and ready to take on any challenger out there. I think this is what the bantamweight division needed in the UFC, someone like Kayla.”
