Kayla Harrison just fought her second UFC bout, which turned out to be a little tougher than she had expected. Harrison made sure to take the win and elevate her position in the title contention. However, she had to dig deep. As it turns out, the two-time Olympic gold medalist wasn’t at her hundred percent going into the fight.
Kayla Harrison faced the top-ranked women’s bantamweight fighter, Ketlen Vieira, in a three-round fight. Harrison used her grappling skills to dominate the majority of the contest. However, the Brazilian had her moments and was able to bust open Harrison. In a recent interview with TMZ, Harrison admitted that she was unable to give her all owing to a recent health issue.
I had to go to the hospital the week before I was like peeing blood and there was some stuff going on. So I don’t like to make excuses, but I definitely wasn’t my best inside the cage Saturday night. And I know I can, be better and grow from it.
Kayla Harrison via TMZ
Going into the bout, Harrison and Vieira’s hostility was evident, resulting in some heavy trash-talking. Harrison, on the other hand, was confident and made some outrageous assertions leading up to the fight. According to Harrison, she could have defeated all of the other bantamweights on the card in consecutive bouts.
Other than her fight, Harrison had her eyes on the co-main event bout between Julianna Pena and Raquel Pennington. Pena was able to win the fight and regain her title. Harrison is eager to get her hands on Pena in order to win the title.
Kayla Harrison talks about the aftermath of UFC 307
Kayla Harrison’s main motive was to come to UFC to fight the toughest competitors and capture the belt. After her dominant debut over veteran Holly Holm at UFC 300, Harrison had now further boosted her rankings. She has already established a rivalry with Julianna Pena, which was evident during the press conference.
Harrison had a great run in PFL, where she lost only once; however, the difference in competition in the UFC is already visible. UFC 307 was the toughest fight for Harrison, where she bled. During a recent interview, the fighter talked about her injuries.
19 fights in, I finally look like I’ve been in a fight… Normally, I look pretty spiffy
Kayla Harrison via John Morgan
Kayla Harrison wearing some damage following her fight against Ketlen Vieira 🤕
“19 fights in, I finally look like I’ve been in a fight… Normally, I look pretty spiffy.”
(via @grindcitymedia, @JohnMorgan_MMA) pic.twitter.com/zxcxz4G6Vg
— Full Violence ™ (@Full_Violence) October 7, 2024
Despite the challenge, Harrison did manage to put on a dominant performance; as Joe Rogan said, Harrison ‘woman-handled’ her opponent. Given her momentum, it would be interesting to see if the fighter will be able to capture the title anytime soon. By doing that, she would be one of the few Olympians who were able to win the UFC gold.
