Kayla Harrison has hit the jackpot. The two-time Olympic champion added more gold to her trophy case, winning the UFC women’s bantamweight championship and setting up a valuable fight with soon-to-be Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes.
Despite being the challenger, Harrison entered UFC 316 as the biggest betting favorite on the card. The Olympic judoka lived up to her reputation, dominating two-time UFC champion Julianna Pena from bell to bell. In Round 2, Harrison latched onto a kimura, wrenching Pena’s arm and shoulder back. There were only seconds left in the round, but Pena frantically tapped.
“This is for anyone who’s ever felt hopeless, who’s wanted to quit or give up,” Harrison said during her post-fight interview, referring to her difficult weight cut. “I’ll tell you what, on Thursday, I wanted to quit and give up.
“You gotta go to a bad place.”
Heading into UFC 316, there was a prize at stake arguably more valuable than the UFC women’s bantamweight championship: a fight with Nunes. The former two-division champion, who will enter the UFC Hall of Fame later this month, confirmed she was ending her retirement this week to fight the winner of Saturday’s co-main event.
Harrison beckoned Nunes, who was seated cageside, to join her in the Octagon.
“We knew this was going to happen,” Nunes told her former American Top Team training partner.
“This is the greatest fighter of all time,” Harrison said. “For a long time I’ve said, I want what she wants. She has the legacy, I have the belt. Let’s put them on the table.”
