Kayla Harrison wants to change the world, one fight at a time.
Earlier this month, Harrison added another achievement to her resume, handily defeating Julianna Pena at 315 to capture the women’s bantamweight world championship.
For someone who has already accomplished so much — two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time PFL champion — nobody could really blame Harrison if she’d written her latest victory off as just another conquest in her pursuit of being the greatest female fighter of all time. But for the mother of two, fighting isn’t just about accolades. It’s not even about money.
It’s about constantly challenging herself and, more importantly, using her star power to spread love and inspire change.
“That was always the goal, you know,” Harrison told Cageside Press while attending the 2025 UFC Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas. “I selfishly fight because I love it. I have a desire and a burning passion inside of me to challenge myself, to step inside of a cage, have them lock the door, and have someone try to beat me up and me try to beat them up. So, that part is selfish.
“But the platform, the goal is to use it to be the change in the world that I want to see, to be a light, to spread love and kindness, and sometimes to have the hard conversations and talk about the hard things. It’s also an honor and a privilege that people actually care what I think. The Hall of Fame is about the performances and the people we want to remember forever.”
As far as the Hall of Fame, Harrison has already established herself as an undeniable first-ballot inductee. But if she hopes to be recognized as the undisputed GOAT of women’s MMA, she’ll have to go through ‘The Lioness.’
