Kayla Harrison is planning to have a giant 2026.
In June, Harrison received the UFC bantamweight title, submitting Julianna Peña within the second spherical at UFC 316. The victory was a very long time coming for the two-time Olympic gold medalist and arrange a long-awaited battle with former champion Amanda Nunes, who was in attendance at UFC 316. And whereas that battle has but to be formally booked, Harrison teased that it’ll occur very quickly.
“There’s a battle on the horizon,” Harrison informed Jorge Masvidal on his Demise Row podcast. “… I can’t say that. It’s not booked but. It’s a battle that all of us wish to see occur, and it’s going to occur sooner fairly than later. Earlier than [the UFC White House card]. My excellent world, I battle quickly, after which I battle once more on the White Home. However for positive, I’m going to be on the White Home card. I’m the one American champion at the moment.”
Harrison and Nunes had been briefly teammates at American High Workforce, however Nunes left the gymnasium as soon as Harrison arrived, saying she knew the 2 would battle in the future. It was closely rumored that Harrison was going to hitch the UFC in 2022 to make that battle occur, however then Nunes misplaced to Julianna Peña, and Harrison re-signed with PFL for an additional two years.
Now, virtually 4 years later, it appears the 2 will lastly meet up contained in the cage, and Harrison intends to make brief work of her earlier than, hopefully, setting her sights on one other all-time nice.
“For positive, I’m not carried out,” Harrison mentioned when requested if Nunes could be her final battle. “I’m going to whoop her ass actual fast and — I imply, in my excellent world, Valentina [Shevchenko] beats [Zhang] Weili and we do like a U.S.A. vs. Russia, Rocky IV model.”
Shevchenko will not be Russian, however Kyrgyz and Peruvian, and when Masvidal knowledgeable Harrison of this, she continued on anyway.
“No matter. She seems like a Russian murderer,” Harrison mentioned. “She seems like a Russian spy, so I believe that may be good. Or everyone been speaking about how Ronda [Rousey] is coming again, so that may be nice.
“Or whoever is subsequent in line. I actually don’t care. I’ll battle anyone.”
Shevchenko defends her flyweight title in opposition to former strawweight champion Zhang Weili subsequent week at UFC 322 in New York. Rousey, in the meantime, has not competed since dropping to Amanda Nunes in 2016, and not too long ago shot down any speak of a attainable comeback.
