Just a couple of months ago, two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison said that she was not interested in a mixed martial arts career. However, on Thursday it was announced that the judo star is set to transition to MMA after signing with World Series of Fighting.
According to MMAjunkie.com, Harrison joins WSOF as a commentator and brand ambassador, but she plans of competing inside of the cage in the future.
“I’ve been boxing and doing jiu-jitsu and all that, and the biggest thing for me, really, is that I miss competing,” Harrison said. “I miss fighting on the highest stages of the world, and the World Series of Fighting really gave me a great opportunity.”
Harrison will make her promotional debut as a commentator on Dec. 31 for WSOF 34 event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
There is no timetable for when the 26 year old will make her MMA debut.
“A lot of times people like to compare me to Ronda [Rousey],” Harrison said. “I’m my own person. I make my own decisions. I’ll do it in my own time.”
While it is exciting that another standout judoka is making the transition from gold medal Olympian to mixed martial artist, it will be interesting to see what type of competition WSOF can find for Harrison.
In the Olympics, Harrison competed at 78 kg (170 pounds), so there won’t be a surplus of possible opponents. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out.
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Photo Credit: Kayla Harrison, Instagram
