PFL’s biggest star, Kayla Harrison, won’t be competing in the season tournament format again. She will attempt to claim a third PFL championship this year when she competes in the finals, Harrison confirmed to MMAFighting that she plans to turn her attention to individual fights rather than tournaments.
“Yeah, this will be my last season. I’m 32. When I tell you that it is a mental and physical grind to get to this title, it certainly is.
Kayla Harrison Abandons PFL Tournament
I can’t even imagine trying to make 145 pounds four times in six months. I think that is, for me, impossible. I’m hypoglycemic. It would be a health risk, and I wouldn’t be performing at my best if I did that to my body. I know it’s time for me to be patient and get the big fights.”
Harrison is competing, currently, at 155 pounds, but is open to a featherweight return. She has long claimed to be the greatest living female fighter, but has endured criticism for failing to face the elite opposition currently calling the UFC and Bellator home.
Harrison cited the strain on the rest of her life as the primary reason for her choice to move away from tournament competition.“I think when you don’t know, it’s hard to grasp it.
For me, that is the hardest part. I don’t have a life. You think that I’ve done anything fun this year? You think that had enough energy to brush my hair this year? I wake up, I take my kids to school, I eat breakfast, I train, I come home, I shower as fast as I can, I pick up my kids, I take them to their activities, I have help, she shows up and helps make dinner or I make dinner, and then I go train again. I come home, I help with bath time and bed time, I go to sleep and then I do it all over again.
Every eight weeks, every 10 weeks, I have a fight. I don’t travel. I don’t see my other family. I don’t go to fun events. If something hurts, you better figure it out fast, because you’ve got a fight in three weeks. Oh, if you have a medical issue, you have a health concern, you have things that need surgery, you’ve got to put it off.
You have stuff that you’re supposed to be working on like your foundation, well, you’ve got to put it off, because you don’t have enough energy. It is a mental and physical grind. It’s not so much about the opponents, but every single time I step in that cage, I’m putting my legacy on the line. I have a desire to achieve great things. It’s f****** hard.”
What do you think is next for Kayla Harrison? Let us know in the comments.
