Kayla Harrison is no stranger to gold, pain, or the spotlight. The two-time Olympic judo champion (2012, 2016) bulldozed her way through the world’s toughest tatami mats before trading her gi for MMA gloves and a Professional Fighters League cage.
Kayla Harrison
In the PFL, Harrison didn’t just win – she dominated, collecting two lightweight championships and leaving a trail of battered ambitions in her wake. Now, the UFC has opened its doors, and Harrison is set for her most anticipated fight yet. This Saturday, she faces Juliana Peña, the reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion – a woman whose chin and willpower are as stubborn as they come. The stakes? A shot at rewriting MMA history, and perhaps a little more.
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Kayla Harrison’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, isn’t shy about the plan. In an interview with Mike Bohn, he said:
“This is the roadmap: I want Kayla to win the title on Saturday. Amanda Nunes will come back, we fight for the 145 title, Kayla will beat her at 145. Amanda will cut down to 135, Kayla will beat her at 135, and Kayla will have two UFC championships. Now Henry Cejudo is screwed! This is what I want to do.
“Of course, we have to talk to the UFC, and Juliana Peña is tough as nails, not easy, not a walkover. But this is what I would love for Kayla to do. And after that, I want Kayla to go to WWE and win a WWE title too. Why not? We’ll talk to Nick Khan. It’s all one family now, so it’s very, very possible.”
Abdelaziz doesn’t mince words about his client’s work ethic, either. “She’s a psychopath, you know? She trains more than anyone I know. I thought Frankie Edgar was the hardest worker, but him and Kayla might be a tie. Nobody works more than Kayla Harrison. It doesn’t exist. She doesn’t cheat about anything—her food, her diet, her discipline. She’s a different breed, man. She will go down as the greatest female fighter of all time.”
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Fight week is usually when tempers flare and patience runs thin, but this time, Kayla Harrison is all smiles and positive vibes, he continue, “Since I met Kayla, she never changed. She gets grumpy on fight week, but this fight week she’s been awesome. She has great energy, she’s lifting everyone up, and everyone is lifting her up. There’s no negativity. And she’s going to go there, man, and—Kayla wants to… ” “
I respect Juliana Peña, I think she’s tough as nails, she’s a world champion, you have to put respect on her name. But I think Kayla is going to make it a bloodbath. I think it’s going to be a bloodbath. Kayla has every intention to make her pay for everything Juliana said.”
But Harrison’s ambitions don’t stop at the Octagon. She’s already dipped her toes into the world of professional wrestling, making appearances that suggest she’s comfortable on the canvas. With WWE and UFC now under the same corporate roof, Abdelaziz is already plotting her next conquest. As the Octagon lights blaze this weekend, keep your eyes peeled. If Kayla Harrison gets her hand raised, the bloodbath might just be the start of a two-sport takeover. And if her manager’s roadmap holds, Kayla Harrison could soon be the first to toss UFC gold and a WWE belt into the same gym bag with her Olympic gold medals.
