Kayla Harrison, Olympic gold medalist, UFC bantamweight champion, and all-around grappling juggernaut, found herself in unfamiliar territory this weekend – not in the cage, but on the red carpet.
Kayla Harrison
Speaking in an interview with MMA Junkie, she explained how she feels in heels, “Well, I got to be honest with you. I’m a lot more comfortable with other people’s sweat on me than I am in high heels,” she admitted, flashing a grin that suggested she’d rather be in a gi than a gown. Still, Harrison conceded, “This is part of the gig, so we just make the most of it. You know, it’s fun every once in a while to get dressed up, right?” After all, if you can survive Olympic finals and UFC title fights, what’s a pair of high heels?
The queen of relentless training, swapping the mats for the media circuit. Kayla Harrison’s career from judo to MMA is the stuff of sports legend. She’s the only American to win Olympic judo gold, not once, but twice. After her second Olympic triumph in Rio, Harrison traded tatamis for the cage, launching an MMA career. Her time in the Professional Fighters League saw her bulldoze the competition, racking up two lightweight tournament championships and a reputation for finishing fights before the judges could even warm their seats.
When she finally signed with the UFC in 2024, skeptics wondered if her judo would translate against the world’s best and in a new weight class. She answered those doubts with a submission win over Holly Holm, then snatched the bantamweight title from Julianna Peña, becoming the first woman to claim both Olympic and UFC gold.
But it’s not just the hardware that sets Kayla Harrison apart; it’s the grind behind it. At American Top Team, her training is the stuff of gym lore. Coaches and teammates talk about her focus and intensity with a mix of awe and exhaustion. Harrison herself calls it “dogged determination,” a polite way of saying she’s the last one to leave the mats and the first to volunteer for another round.
