Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison has signed with the UFC and will take on Holly Holm at the promotion’s historic 300th pay-per-view event.
That’s a pretty big deal for fans who still believe in a vibrant future for women’s bantamweight. Those fans are also asking informed questions like ‘How the heck is Kayla Harrison going to make 135 pounds considering she competed at 155 for most of her MMA career?’
It’s a very valid question. Harrison is a brick of a woman who won both of her Olympic judo medals at 171 pounds. She fought at 145 once back in 2020, and her last fight in November 2023 was contested at 150 pounds. Adding to the doubts over whether she can drop an extra 15 pounds for UFC 300 is a recent photo of her with training partner Dustin Poirier.
The two are practically the same size standing next to each other. “The Diamond” cuts down to 155 pounds, so yeah, Kayla’s big. But don’t get too worried about her botching her UFC weigh-in debut.
According to UFC CEO Dana White and Harrison’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, Kayla has done a few test cuts down to 135 pounds and is “pleased with the results.”
“She’s already made 135 a couple of times,” White said on a recent Instagram Live broadcast.
So apparently Harrison is physically capable of making 135 pounds. Can she compete at the highest level after draining herself to that degree? Holly Holm is getting a bit long in the tooth at 42 years of age, but she’s still a former UFC champion who has fought the best of the best at 135 and 145.
If Kayla doesn’t bring her A-game to Las Vegas on April 13th, “The Preacher’s Daughter” could definitely point-fight her way to a decision. Or possibly earn her first stoppage since 2017? Anything is possible when one fighter dehydrates themselves past the point of sanity.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
