Kayla harrison derrotou Ketlen Scallop No. UFC 307 (Photo: Instagram/UFC)
One of the biggest stars in women's MMA today, it is expected that Kayla harrison have the opportunity to become UFC bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg) soon. However, the American's trajectory may be nearing its end. At least, that's what she says Megan anderson, a former fighter who dominated the featherweight division (up to 65,7 kg) at Invicta and faced Amanda nunes for the Ultimate title.
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In an interview with the North American website 'MMA fighting' Last Tuesday (18), Anderson shared her concerns regarding the judoka's weight. It is worth remembering that Harrison competed as a featherweight (up to 65,7 kg) and lightweight (up to 70,3 kg) in the PFL, but only in the UFC was she forced to change to a lower category. As an Olympic athlete, the American fought at 78 kg.
“The caveat for me with Kayla is — and I said this when it was announced that she was going to be down to 61,2 pounds — just because you can make the weight doesn’t always mean you should. For women, these big weight cuts, hormonally, are not good. So even if she goes out there and dominates Julianna, or it’s a back-and-forth battle and she ends up being the champion, I don’t see her fighting for much longer. It’s the toll on the body, it’s the quality of life, you know?”
Kayla harrison officially makes weight up to 136 lbs
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Megan anderson, who retired in 2022, used his own example to argue Harrison's difficulty in reaching the weight limit for the category. In belt fights, there is no tolerance limit for the Athletic Commissions and therefore, it is necessary to reach the exact weight of the division.
“I know for a fact that this weight cut is horrible for her. Because I know 65,7 pounds was horrible for me. It was tough. The last 15 pounds were tough, the last XNUMX pounds were the worst. She’s going to start prepping for this weight cut in three months because it’s so big for her. That’s my biggest issue with Kayla. But she’s been great so far, and I definitely think it’s going to come down to who wants it more,” she concluded.
For Megan Anderson, Kayla Harrison is the favorite
Kayla harrison in victory in UFC 300. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFCNews
Despite her reservations, she made it clear that she still sees the Olympic champion as the favorite to become the new owner of the Ultimate belt. However, she did not fail to praise Juliana Peña's mentality.
"Julianna Pena, no matter how many bad positions she’s put in, no matter how many times you hit her, no matter how many submission attempts she makes, she’s going to defend. She’s going to find a way out of it and she’s going to try to turn the tables. That’s the mentality of a champion, and that’s what got her here. I’m probably going to lean toward Kayla just because she has a little bit better striking. I don’t think either of them are amazing on the feet. But Kayla has the cleaner striking and she mixes it up with her judo better. If she’s able to utilize that, get on top and use strikes on the ground, she can win,” he concluded.
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