Two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison revealed she went through an unexpected period of “post-fight depression” following her dominant UFC debut victory over Holly Holm earlier this year.
Speaking on the Pound4Pound podcast with host Kamaru Usman, Harrison described experiencing a significant emotional low after the high of her successful UFC debut.
“There was definitely like a post-Olympic depression, there was like a post-fight depression and I hadn’t experienced that in MMA before,” Harrison said. “The high was so high, dude.”
Harrison explained that she struggled with feelings of discomfort and scarcity in the weeks after the fight, despite achieving a career-defining victory. She attributed some of this to the strict discipline required during her training camp, including a rigorous diet and weight cut to make 135 pounds for the first time since she was a teenager.
“I would walk by like my kids’ veggie straws and I don’t even like veggie straws but I needed to eat them because they were there,” Harrison said, describing the mental challenge of transitioning out of fight camp.
The Olympic champion also noted the difficulty of going from being the center of attention during fight week to relative anonymity afterward. “You go from being like on top of the mountain, everyone’s talking about you…and then you know the next week there’s another fight, another fight and like nobody gives a [expletive] anymore,” she said.
Harrison emphasized that learning to navigate these post-fight emotional swings has been an important part of her growth as a fighter. She credited her children with helping provide perspective, realizing they care more about her presence as a mother than her results in competition.
With her next fight coming soon against Ketlen Vieira at UFC 207, Harrison appears to have processed the post-fight blues and refocused on her ultimate goal of becoming UFC champion.
