Kayla Harrison's trainer sheds light on weight-cutting challenges ahead of UFC 316: 'She'll do whatever it takes to be the best'

Kayla Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 (Photo: Instagram/UFC)

Kayla Harrison irá subir ao octógono para a luta mais importante de sua carreira profissional neste sábado (7), para faces Julianna Peña for the Ultimate bantamweight belt (up to 61,2 kg). However, before that she will need to weigh in on the scales this Friday (6). Huge for the category and without the possibility of using the tolerance pound, expectations for the fighter's weight cut are high.

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In this context, the main coach of the North American at American Top Team, Mike Brown, spoke about the process of reaching the category limit in an interview with the website 'MMA fighting' weeks ago.

“She’ll do whatever it takes. She’s as committed as any athlete, and one of the biggest obstacles for her is her weight. But she’s willing to do whatever it takes to be the best. It’s not easy, but she can do it. She can do it as many times as she wants. It’s just discipline and changing her body. Is that ideal? Maybe not, but she’s willing to sacrifice and make those changes, and she’s so good that she can make it happen and beat whoever is put in front of her.

✈️Touched down in #Newark. No time for sightseeing…eyes on the belt.

Kyle Hannon#ufc # ufc316 #kaylaharrison pic.twitter.com/PFgnBLqwjy

— Kayla Harrison Official (@KaylaH) June 3, 2025

Kayla Harrison is known for her physical strength

Kayla Harrison at PFL weigh-in. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/PFLMMA

Bicampeã olímpica de judô competindo com 78 kg., Kayla Harrison passou a maior parte da carreira no MMA na divisão peso leve (até 70,3 kg.). Apesar de enaltecer o profissionalismo da aluna, Brown reconheceu que gostaria de vê-la lutando numa categoria mais pesada.

“She prefers to fight at a heavier weight and I think she would be even better at a heavier weight, but unfortunately they (UFC) don’t have the means. I think the ideal would be 66 pounds or something like that, but she can fight at any weight and show the world what she’s capable of, and I think she’s the best fighter on the planet,” Brown said. “The problem is they don’t have (a featherweight). If they did, she wouldn’t be fighting at 61 pounds. But since they don’t have it, she has to fight. So she’s kind of forced to do it,” he concluded.