Kayla Harrison is looking to unseat Henry Cejudo from his self-proclaimed title as the greatest combat sports athlete of all time.
Harrison made her promotional debut this April with a second-round submission win over former bantamweight champion Holly Holm at UFC 300. Though Harrison has since slammed Raquel Pennington, “Rocky” is rumored to be competing in a title bout against Julianna Peña at UFC 307 on October 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Harrison, who recently admitted she is at least one fight away from a title shot, also hopes to fight at UFC 307. Former PFL lightweight champion Harrison’s ultimate target remains Amanda Nunes, but she wants to win the title first in order to bring “The Lion” out of retirement.
“In an ideal world, I’d like to fight for the belt first, then I’d tell Amanda to get up off the couch and fight for the BMF belt,” Harrison recently told The Schmo, “and then I’d put the bantamweight title on the line at the same time.”
Harrison, a former Olympic gold medalist in judo, believes a win over Nunes to defend her title would cement her status as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Harrison has long threatened to dethrone Cejudo, her only real rival, and believes Cejudo would “do the push-ups” if she were to win the title.
“That’s right. [looking for GOAT legacy]”So I’ve won two Olympic gold medals, two PFL world titles, I’m going to win some UFC titles, and then what is Henry Cejudo going to say to me? He’s going to put his head down and do push-ups. That’s what he’s going to do.”
Harrison has one more Olympic gold medal than Cejudo, but “Triple C” has won and defended UFC titles in two weight classes. But a two-division UFC title doesn’t seem realistic for Harrison, who currently weighs around 165 pounds and is unlikely to move up to flyweight. The UFC featherweight title is currently void, but Harrison hopes his performance will make it undeniable that the UFC will reclaim it.
“I need to get so good that people can’t ignore me,” she said. “If I keep doing what I’m doing and taking it one step at a time, the sky’s the limit.”
