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Losing 30 lbs for UFC 300, Kayla Harrison Explains the Difficulties in Her Weight Cut While Shutting Down Holly Holm’s Controversial Claim

Published 02/01/2024, 4:13 AM EST

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Kayla Harrison is all set to make her UFC debut on the grand stage of UFC 300. Harrison will lock horns with former champion Holly Holm in a bantamweight bout. However, there looms a darkness in her fight, and that is her weight class. The fighter is facing constant criticism for dropping two weight classes to fight Holm but this will not stop her from her goal.

Winning two gold medals at the Olympics and becoming a two-time PFL champio͏n isn’t a walk in the park, but for Harrison, it seemed like a piece of cake. Now, she’s got her sights set on the ͏UFC belt. However, there’s one roadblock she needs to overcome: her weight. Amidst criticism from her opponents and others, Harrison has stepped forward to silence everyone doubting her progress.

Kayla Harrison responds to criticism with a forceful counterattack

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Critics have raised their doubts that Kayla Harrison won’t be able to make a weight cut considering that she was competing in judo at 172 lbs in the Olympics and at 155 lbs and 145 lbs in the PFL.

Harrison, in a recent statement, explained that she was ready to cut down to 135 pounds. She said, “The whole time I was [in the PFL], I walked around at 165, maybe 160 and so not only was I usually the smaller fighter with less experience, I was getting in the cage with girls who were getting in there at 180, 175 pounds. Now, that’s not going to be the case.”

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She further explained that her team has tested multiple simulations to test her ability to fight in the bantamweight division and she is confident about the whole situation – “We did a test cut. Everything was measured, from my heart rate to my blood pressure to my blood sugar. We did a test recovery. We did a test simulated fight. Everything has been dialed in and everything has been tested. I’m really confident in my team.”

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Interestingly, Kayla Harrison is up for dropping two weight classes to compete against Holm. “I work hard to make my weight, so I expect the same,” Holm said on a recent episode of ‘The MMA Hour.’ However, there was a time when Harrison heavily criticized the weight-cutting procedure.

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The time when Harrison spoke against weight-cutting

Back in 2019, when Luke Thomas interviewed Harrison, she explained that she was not in favor of these weight-cutting procedures. Harrison stated, “I don’t believe in cutting weight. You know, I just don’t. I think it’s terrible for your body. I think if you’re going to win, you’re going to win at whatever weight you compete at.”

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She further added that the weight cutting sends a bad message to the younglings around the world “And I think it’s a sending a bad message to young girls and young kids all around. You know, I don’t want anyone, especially like my niece or someone to think that, ‘oh, to be thinner is to be better.’ Like, I just don’t believe in that. You’re big, you’re strong, you’re powerful. That’s the message that I want to send.”

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Harrison made these statements years ago and now she is dropping not one but two weight classes to compete against Holly Holm. What’s your opinion on Kayla Harrison’s statements? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Suryakant Das

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I'm Suryakant Das, an avid sports enthusiast from a family that cherishes the world of sports. I still vividly recall the day my father took me to watch Indian wrestling, sparking my fascination with the discipline and the aura of those warriors. Over time, my love for combat sports grew, and now, I'm a UFC writer at EssentiallySports.
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Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen