PFL superstar Kayla Harrison endured the first loss of her MMA career at the 2022 PFL Championships this weekend. The fight went to her opponent, Larissa Pacheco, via unanimous decision, with Harrison remaining positive at the post-fight press conference.
“I’m super grateful for the opportunity to do what I love everyday. I didn’t get the result that I wanted tonight. Larissa was the better fighter. I don’t have an excuse, I don’t have a reason. I believe in my team, I believe in my preparation. I feel like we did everything right in order to prepare for this fight, and it just didn’t go my way tonight. I made some tactical errors. A lot to work on.
Kayla Harrison on First MMA Loss: “Some days you’re the nail, and some days you’re the hammer”
Failure is inevitable. Some days you’re the nail, and some days you’re the hammer. I feel like I’ve been the hammer for a while, and today, I experienced being the nail. This is an opportunity for me to grow as a fighter and as a person.
I’m very fortunate that this isn’t the first time I’ve lost in life or in a sport setting. I’ve lost many times in judo. It’s a little different in MMA, obviously. It’s the world’s biggest stage. I just lost my title, so that hurts. It’s going to hurt for a while. But it’s also kind of silly, right? I’m not curing cancer, I’m not changing the world.”
Harrison also addressed the implications of the loss for her legacy. “I just think that I talk a lot about legacy, and to me my legacy isn’t just what I do inside of the cage but how I carry myself outside of the cage,” Harrison said. “I think about what I want my kids to know, and I’m not ashamed of myself tonight.
I’m proud. I went out there, I fought, I lost, but I can hold my head high and carry myself with dignity. I think that a real champion shows up in the good times and the bad, and I want kids everywhere to know that, listen, I fell down tonight.
I fell flat on my face. I lost in front of the whole world, and it hurts. It’s going to hurt for a while. But it’s also an opportunity for growth, it’s an opportunity for me to become a better fighter, a better person, and that is part of my legacy. Not just the wins, but what I do during the losses as well.”
Do you think we’ll see a stronger Kayla Harrison upon her return to the ring? Let us know in the comments.
