NEW YORK – Safe to say Kayla Harrison has high expectations for her upcoming fight.
The two-time judo Olympic gold medalist returns to action Tuesday night to headline the 2019 PFL Championship finale at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Her opponent is a familiar foe and one that left a sour taste for Harrison last time they met.
Back in May, Harrison (6-0 MMA, 6-0 PFL) out-pointed seasoned veteran Larissa Pacheco in a dominant decision win to improve her MMA record to 4-0. But despite the victory, Harrison was distraught that she didn’t finish Pacheco and cried on the broadcast. She looked very upset, which left many fans watching at home confused.
Now, heading into the rematch, which has a championship belt on the line paired with a $1 million grand prize, the mentality is still the same for Harrison. And despite the extra bonuses, Harrison won’t be satisfied unless she stops the Brazilian.
“I probably won’t be happy again,” Harrison said. “It’s not the million dollars. It’s about being the best possible version of myself. I want to win by knockout, TKO or submission. I’ve prepared mentally and physically for five grueling rounds, but I want to break her. I want to go out there and show everybody I’m not to be trifled with. And if she does last five whole rounds, I’ll tip my hat to her and say, ‘Damn, that’s a tough b*tch.'”
A young talent in the fight game who is still very much developing, Harrison sees herself having an even more dominant performance this time around against Pacheco. It’s been only a few months since the two last fought, but Harrison believes there will be a noticeable difference.
“I’m not an expert by any means, but the ground that I’ve covered in the last six months, it feels really good,” Harrison explained. “It feels like I’m finally getting comfortable and finally feeling like a fighter instead of a judo player in the cage. I think the Kayla that I am today would demolish that Kayla (from the first Pacheco fight), so I think everyone can look forward to that.”
Harrison, unbeaten in her young MMA career, is regarded as blue-chip prospect who could go far given her world-class background in judo. With high expectations and with a recent win over Pacheco, many would assume the pressure is high for Harrison, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
“There is no pressure,” Harrison said. “You can’t compare it to the pressure that I put on myself. Obviously, adjustments have been made by both of us, and it will probably be a little bit different looking fight this time around, but there is no pressure. It’s time to go have fun and do what I do.”
