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Judo Olympic Champ Kayla Harrison Makes MMA Debut Tonight

Judo Olympic Champ Kayla Harrison Makes MMA Debut Tonight

Two-time Olympic judo champion Kayla Harrison steps into the cage tonight for her MMA debut to go against Brittney Elkin.

Jun 21, 2018 by FloGrappling
Judo Olympic Champ Kayla Harrison Makes MMA Debut Tonight

The first U.S. athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in judo, Kayla Harrison will switch her gi for gloves tonight as she makes her MMA debut at PFL 2 in Chicago, IL.

Olympic gold medalist in 2012 and 2016, Harrison fights tonight against Brittney Elkin (3-4-0), a Bellator veteran and regular face on Fight To Win's submission-only grappling circuit. 

Harrison has trained MMA extensively since announcing her intention to fight back in October 2016. Her camp was spent at American Top Team in Florida. 

"I started training in February of last year, I wanted a full year of hard sparring before I stepped into the cage," Harrison said during the pre-fight press event. 


With over 20 years of judo experience and two Olympic gold medals, Harrison's entry to the sport has drawn comparisons with fellow judo Olympian Ronda Rousey. “When I was 16 and I moved to (Jimmy) Pedro’s, she was the superstar. She was the golden girl. She was the one everyone was watching.

"Every day, I said to myself, ‘I’m going to be her some day. I’m going to be better than her. Anything she can do, I can do better.’ It helped take me to the highest levels of my sport. So I don’t see this being any different. It’s positive motivation for me. It’s healthy. I think it’s always healthy to have something to chase, something to look forward to."

The easiest thing about Kayla Harrison's transition to MMA

Instead of the challenges posed by making the transition, Harrison was asked what she felt was easy for her to pick up on. She wasted no time in answering that she found herself adapting well to wrestling. 

"In judo you're not allowed to grab the legs. For the last 10 years no-one has touched my legs. But I think because it's grappling-based and judo is throws, it's pins, it's chokes, it's armbars... Learning how to sprawl, learning how to shoot was a lot easier to pick up on than I gave myself credit for."  



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