Morning Report: Kayla Harrison says ‘I’d be scared s***less’ if she was Raquel Pennington upon UFC arrival
Kayla Harrison isn’t looking to waste time on her journey to become a UFC champion.
The signing of Harrison to the promotion has been one of the bigger surprises of 2024. Not only was the former two-time Olympic gold medalist Judoka brought over from the PFL, but she was also booked to battle former bantamweight champion Holly Holm at the historic UFC 300 event next Saturday night.
Bantamweight will be a new challenge for Harrison in addition to the fresh roster. The timing arguably couldn’t be any more perfect for the former two-time lightweight champion to rise through the ranks, especially starting with “The Preacher’s Daughter.”
The division has transformed since Amanda Nunes’ retirement in June 2023. Raquel Pennington now holds the throne, and recently stated that Harrison shouldn’t jump right to a title after a win.
“I think that my record speaks for itself,” Harrison told MMA Junkie of fighting for the title with a Holm win. “So, that’s kind of hard to argue with. I think that if I go out and make a statement, that’s gonna be hard to argue with. I don’t know Raquel’s record, but I’m assuming that there were losses mixed in, like she probably got close then lost.
“That’s her journey. My journey is my journey, and I plan on doing everything in my power to make it so that they want to give me the title shot. I would be saying that if I was Raquel, too. I’d be scared s***less.”
Pennington, 35, is on the best stretch of her 24-fight career (16-8), which culminated with a unanimous decision title win against Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297 this past January. The win made her one of three fighters to win a UFC title a full decade after debuting in the octagon.
The 33-year-old Harrison has racked up a lot of experience in only five years, as she boasts a 16-1 record. However, there’s expected to be a competition curve going from 16 of those fights in the PFL.
“It’s a totally different world,” Harrison said. “I’m not knocking anyone or anything, but it’s just like what they have created is massive in comparison to other promotions, and very difficult to compete with.
“Kudos to them. They don’t me, they don’t need any fighter. They have created such a strong brand. It’s all about what the fighter can do to maximize that and use it to their advantage, and I hope that I do that, but really, I just want to f****** be UFC champion. All of that other stuff is just noise.”
Harrison isn’t the only big acquisition for the UFC this year. Former Bellator staple Michael “Venom” Page made his debut against Kevin Holland, and earned a unanimous decision at UFC 299 last month.
The pair follow in the likes of big names of past years like Michael Chandler. As a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, Chandler shared a moment with the newcomer at the same event Page fought. Now, she’ll soon get to try and follow suit.
“It’s great, and I want to be a company girl, I want to be a part of the team,” Harrison said. “The is huge. It’s funny because Michael came up to me at UFC 299, and he was like, ‘Welcome. Get ready. It’s a different world, and I’m real excited for you to feel that feeling.’
“I was like, ‘Huh.’ This is a guy who’s been around. He knows what’s up, and he’s telling me that. Anyway, I was really grateful for that moment from him, and I’m really excited and really looking forward to that feeling of stepping inside that cage.”
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VIDEO STEW
Between the Links.
MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz chats with Diego Lima.
UFC 300 Countdown.
Charles Oliveira’s best finishes.
Every Invicta 2 submission.
Pereira’s countdown to 300.
O’Malley vs. Ross.
Wonderboy breaks down The Highlight.
Fancy Gaethje vs. Holloway preview.
The dead leg test.
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LISTEN UP
Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses if UFC 300 is the greatest card on paper in UFC history.
MORNING MUSIC
Let Barney roar you into the weekend.
Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Wrestlemania ready, brother.
Stone Cold Volkanovski pic.twitter.com/yyBq5DTIuS
— MrTestoestrogen (@MrTestoestrogen) April 4, 2024
ONE gonna ONE.
Incredible thread https://t.co/Pd03nMxo6K
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 4, 2024
Lol.
Merab Dvalishvili’s new skit, featuring Aljamain Sterling and “Sean O’Malley”
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 4, 2024
@MerabDvalishvil #UFC #MMA #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/qzmYAwJPP0
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Brunno Ferreira (11-1) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (15-5); UFC Vegas 93, June 8
Rinat Fakhretdinov (21-1-1) vs. Nicolas Dalby (23-4-1, 2 NC); UFC Saudi Arabia, June 22
FINAL THOUGHTS
As long as Julianna Pena doesn’t get the next title shot, we should all be happy.
Happy Friday, peeps! Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend.
EXIT POLL
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