Kayla Harrison may hold the bantamweight title but she is much from being a natural fit for this weight class.
Harrison needed to hit the 135-pound mark for the primary time in her profession to be able to challenge for the belt and win it last June.
Many felt like the most important challenge the two-time Olympic gold medallist would face when signing to the UFC is that she’d should fight at bantamweight having previously competed two divisions higher.
While Harrison continues to be working towards with the ability to spar again after undergoing neck surgery, she’s already waiting for the long run.
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Kayla Harrison is comfortable to walk away after Amanda Nunes fight if UFC thrust back on featherweight plans
As fans eagerly anticipate Kayla Harrison returning to defend her title against Amanda Nunes later this yr, the champion already has plans to go away the division.
She recently revealed during an appearance on the Death Row MMA podcast that she intends to ask the UFC to let her fight at featherweight after she faces ‘The Lioness’.
Harrison wants this move so she could be more energetic and has no problems with ending her UFC profession after just 4 fights if the promotion isn’t willing to make a 145-pound division.
“In the event that they don’t have the desire to make a 145, then I’m just gonna say like thanks, it’s been great,” she said. “I’m satisfied. It’s similar to taking years off my life, I’m not going to misinform you.”
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The UFC created a featherweight belt back in 2017 ahead of Cris Cyborg arriving within the promotion, with it being clear that this was the one and only reason it existed.
Cyborg losing the belt to Nunes meant that when ‘The Lioness’ retired in 2023 and vacated her belts, the 145-pound division was shut down.
Harrison did add that her one exception to this ultimatum is that if she was offered a fight with Valentina Shevchenko, which she said she would do another cut to bantamweight for.
“Unless Valentina desires to fight, cuz I do know she’s a 125er, then I’d cut down again because she’s a legacy fight.”