Kayla Harrison has excelled within the grind of the Professional Fighters League season format, but that doesn’t mean she wants to keep doing it forever.
Harrison is getting ready to pursue her third consecutive PFL championship at 155 pounds with a clash against Martina Jindrova at PFL 9 on Aug. 20 at Copperbox Arena in London. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has yet to taste defeat in her professional career, and she'll once again be an overwhelming favorite in the upcoming lightweight bracket.
“It’s hard. It’s not for the faint of heart,” Harrison told the MMAUnderground. “And this is my third time doing it. On one hand I’m grateful because it gives me so much experience so fast because I have no choice but to evolve or lose. But on the other hand it’s a grind. Even when I’m not competing, I’m still training everyday.”
If Harrison is able to three-peat at lightweight, she’s ready to consider other possibilities beyond the PFL season format.
“For sure, I think that going through this season especially, there’s been some other stuff behind the scenes going on. Whatever, life is life. There’s always something going on,” Harrison said. “But I think that, 14 [fights], by the time I’ll be done with the season it’ll be 16 fights in, it’ll be time to maybe start [considering other possibilites]. I want the big fights. I’ve been doing what you would call seasons — I’ve been training twice a day since I was 12 years old. So it’s been 20 years now of putting my body through the mill."
Harrison recently tested the waters of free agency but ultimately elected to sign a multi-year contract extension with the PFL. Including with the news of Harrison’s re-signing was the promotion’s plans to launch a pay-per-view superfight division. Thus far, there has been no further news regarding that division, but it could be more fitting for Harrison’s vision.
“I want the big fights. And if that means I have to be patient and wait and not compete in a season, then I’ll be patient and wait,” she said.
“It’s not about money. It’s about legacy, and it’s about testing myself against the best. So I think that this will probably be my last season.”
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