Kayla Harrison opens up on tough decision to fight at bantamweight in the UFC: “It doesn’t get much harder than this”

UFC newcomer Kayla Harrison has opened up on her decision to compete at bantamweight in the promotion.

For the longest time now, Kayla Harrison has been a real attraction in women’s mixed martial arts. However, up to this point, she’s spent most of her career in PFL.

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Now, she’s preparing to debut for the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 300. She’ll be taking on former champion Holly Holm in a contest that should really test her credentials at the elite level. However, she’ll be doing so at bantamweight, a lower weight class than she’s used to competing at.

In a recent interview, Kayla spoke about the process of dropping to 135 pounds.

Harrison’s struggles

“To their credit, they did not beat around the bush,” Harrison told MMA Junkie of the UFC’s negotiation. “It was very clear that if you want to fight here, this is the weight you’re going to fight at, and that was a big mental hurdle for me to get through – just figure out: Can I do this? Is this what I want to do? It’s hard, because most people don’t realize that I’ve been training two-a-day since I was 12 years old.

“There was definitely a piece of me that was like, ‘F*ck that. You’ve done enough. Why would you spend the last part of your career cutting an extra 10 pounds? Like, why?’ Then there was another part piece of me that was like, ‘Well, we grow at the edges of our comfort zone, and this is you being all in. It doesn’t get much harder than this. You’re cutting to a new weight class, you’re fighting in the promotion, and you’re fighting the legend. This is it. You’re either all in or not in.’ I liked that, and I think that brings out the best version of me.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Will Kayla Harrison make the weight? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!