Top Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title challenger Kayla Harrison’s body is not responding well to weight loss.
In an interview with TMZ on Monday, recent winner Harrison (18-1) admitted that he was forced to go to the hospital a week before UFC 307. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo competed at 172 pounds and in the Professional Fighters League at 155 pounds, but has struggled mightily to reach the 136-pound limit. Despite the hiccups, Harrison is likely to beat Ketlen Vieira on the scorecards and win the 135-pound gold medal. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the judoka.
“I’m still learning and growing,” the 34-year-old told TMZ. “I feel like I have a lot of room for improvement, but my night in the cage definitely wasn’t the best. There was a lot going on…I don’t want to make excuses, but the last night I was in the cage was definitely not the best. I had to go to the hospital in the week and I was bleeding and all sorts of things.”
MMA reporter Kevin Aiolu said Monday that the promotion was aware of these issues, according to manager Ali Abdelaziz. He was also taking antibiotics. After addressing these issues, Harrison managed to get back on track, reaching 136 pounds and winning matches. However, the bantamweight winner suggested she may need some time to recover after this camp.
“I want to take some time off… just to lose weight and process my body,” Harrison admitted. “My body weight is not built to handle 135 pounds. Every time I go below 150, it’s not comfortable… Every time I do it, there was a fear at first, ‘Will I be able to do it?’ . This time, it was fear and anticipation, “Oh my god, I have to do this.” But I’m blessed. I’m blessed with a very good team. And I’m so lucky that even the mothers come and play with the kids. Because I have to…I exercise an extra two hours every day. The next 12 weeks are a long time. ”
When asked about his condition in the cage after a grueling weight cut, Harrison said he is still comfortable and in good shape during fights.
“I feel great the next day. [after finishing the weight cut]I’m fine,” she said. “If anything, I overate this time. When I weighed myself, I was really hungry, so I went on a diet for 12 weeks to cut back on calories, and then I cut back on water. So I was like, ‘I have to eat.’ There was psychology, I ended up eating too much, and I actually felt a little sick while warming up. I think…that’s another reason why I stumbled. I just ate too much and I have to maintain my level of discipline until after the weigh-in and not after the match. I stopped a little early. ”
