Kayla Harrison has admitted that her multi-million dollar MMA career likely wouldn’t have been possible without Ronda Rousey’s influence.
Harrison had many run-ins with Rousey during their judo days, but they only competed once back in 2005.
Kayla Harrison admits Ronda Rousey made her MMA career possible Before Ronda Rousey made her UFC debut, promotional boss Dana White declared that women would never fight in the octagon.
She changed all of that, and over a decade later the likes of Kayla Harrison are headline attractions in world title pay-per-view bouts.
“Ronda had an amazing career and I would not be here if it were not for Ronda Rousey,” she told Bloody Elbow at today’s UFC 316 Media Day.
Kayla Harrison has acknowledged that Ronda Rousey’s influence probably would not have allowed her to pursue a multimillion-dollar MMA career.
A two-time Olympic champion, the legendary judoka went on to win two $1 million PFL Championships in the cage. In an attempt to win the UFC bantamweight title on Saturday night, she will now face Julianna Pena in the co-main event of UFC 316.
Though they only faced off once, in 2005, Harrison and Rousey had numerous run-ins during their judo days. Both of them became legendary figures on the US Judo team after Rousey won the match.
Ronda Rousey helped Kayla Harrison pursue her career in mixed martial arts.
Promotional boss Dana White said women would never compete in the octagon before Ronda Rousey made her UFC debut. She put an end to all of that, and now, more than ten years later, world title pay-per-view fights feature Kayla Harrison and other top fighters.
She told Bloody Elbow at today’s UFC 316 Media Day, “Ronda had an amazing career and I would not be here if it were not for Ronda Rousey.”. “I am incredibly appreciative of her and the barriers she broke for women in this sport.
“I didn’t lie during our judo careers. My judo career is going to be extremely challenging. That’s what MMA aims for. “”.
Kayla Harrison remembers the difficulties she had when she was competing against Ronda Rousey.
Harrison is three years younger than Rousey, so when they faced off in 2005, a 15-year-old and a girl who was just shy of turning 18 were facing off. The judo legend’s personal struggles at the time had a significant impact on her performance on the mats.
“It was not the best time in my life when I was 15 and my judo coach was sexually abusing me,” Harrison said tearfully during Media Day. “I’m not taking anything away from Ronda, and she beat me.”. “.”.
Harrison’s Olympic gold medals in women’s judo in 2012 and 2016 were ultimately fueled by her defeat to Rousey. She used Rousey’s trademark armbar technique to defeat Brittney Elkin at PFL 2 in Chicago in June 2018, marking her professional MMA debut.
