PFL’s Kayla Harrison has vied for a fight against other promotions’ elite fighters – the likes of Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes – for a long time. Her 14-0 record, however, is often under scrutiny, with some fans criticizing Harrison for failing to face any elite competition. On The Fighter vs. The Writer, Harrison explained why she sees her “can crusher” reputation as both inaccurate and unfair.
“I struggle with this a lot internally. I get a lot of negative feedback, and I guess you could call it hate, and [I am] trolled that I’m a can crusher. That’s a very repetitive thing in my life — ‘Oh you’re a can crusher, you’re a can crusher.’
Kayla Harrison “Frustrated” by “Can Crusher” Reputation
Sometimes the people that tweet are really funny. They find memes of people stomping on cans, and it’s kind of funny, but you’re right. Even if you go to the UFC and you look at some of the girls’ records in the UFC, it’s not like we’re talking about these absolute monsters.”
Harrison continued, showcasing her trademark bravado and confidence. “To be quite frank with you, Larissa Pacheco, I’ve beaten her twice — I think she would beat [Cris] Cyborg right now.
I think she might give Amanda [Nunes] a hard time right now. That’s not a knock on them, but you can’t judge the level of competition.
We’re all in different promotions. Let’s f*** around and find out. Let’s put us all together. Let’s find out. I’m not afraid to find out.”
Harrison, as always, still wants to test herself against the greatest female fighters alive, and finds herself frustrated by her inability to do so thus far. “I do get frustrated by that.
I do get frustrated by the knocks on competition, because it’s not really a knock on me. It’s a knock on them. Like, show some respect. These women work hard. They go in there and they put it on the line. None of these people who have anything to say do that. None of these people who talk s*** online do thats so for me, that’s frustrating.
This is why a fight between me and one of them would be so great. You would have this seasoned veteran, bona fide GOAT. They’re GOAT’s of the game. They’ve been legends of the sport. They’re pioneers, they changed the game and they’ve been top dogs for a long time now. Then you have an up and coming hungry [fighter] – I would say that I’m a dominant fighter. I’ve had three decisions my entire career. My finish rate is pretty high, and I’m undefeated and I’m dominant. That’s what makes exciting fights. Is she really that good, or are they really that good? Who’s really that good? Hopefully, we’ll find out some day.”
Is Kayla Harrison a can crusher? Let us know what you think in the comments.
