Kayla Harrison on Ronda Rousey’s rumored comeback: “That’d be some free money… I love this. “

Holy Field

UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison has made it clear she’s interested in competing against Ronda Rousey should the former UFC superstar return to mixed martial arts. However, she also called the potential matchup as “some free money” during her recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show.

The comments came after news broke that Rousey is in talks to face boxing champion Katie Taylor in a boxing match next summer, with reports indicating the former judoka has quietly resumed training.

When asked about the possibility of facing Rousey in MMA, Harrison didn’t mince words: “Yeah, that’d be some free money. But yeah,” she said, before adding enthusiastically, “I love this. Holy s**t dude. Really?”

Harrison and Rousey have a history dating back to their judo careers, when Rousey defeated a teenage Harrison twice in competition. “Every time people talk about us fighting, they bring up like Ronda, you know, all the Ronda simps are like she already beat her twice in judo,” Harrison explained. “And I’m like I just want to be like, ‘Yeah, well I was 13 and I was being m*lested.'” Harrison clarified she was likely 14 or 15 at the time, while Rousey was 18 or 19.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist seemed genuinely excited about the prospect of a showdown with Rousey, suggesting it would be a trilogy fight years in the making. “I could see the promotional poster now. Kayla, Rhonda, three. This time they’re both women,” she joked, referencing her younger age during their previous encounters.

However, Harrison’s immediate focus remains on her upcoming title defense against Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 on January 24th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The match will air on the first Paramount Plus card, marking a historic clash between two of the greatest female stars in combat sports history.

“I’m the greatest. I’m the champion. Kayla Harrison. This is my day. This is my purpose,” Harrison declared with confidence. When asked how she envisions the fight playing out, she was equally direct: “I think she’s going to come out hard and I think I’m going to break her. I think one minute at a time, one round at a time, one exchange at a time, one breath at a time, I’m going to go out there and I’m going to be smart, be calm, cool, collected, and I’m going to instill my will.”

Harrison and Nunes were once teammates at American Top Team, with Harrison recalling a cordial relationship that included attending each other’s children’s birthday parties.

However, she acknowledged some tension following Nunes’ departure from the gym. “I don’t appreciate the way she left AT and the some of the remarks and insinuations she made about the team,” Harrison said. “But she’s never done anything to me personally.”

Currently weighing approximately 159 pounds, Harrison expressed confidence in making the bantamweight limit and predicted a ground-and-pound finish against Nunes. She also revealed that her three coaches—Mike, Anderson, and Makco—previously cornered Nunes, giving her valuable intel heading into the mach.

When asked if defeating Nunes would make her the greatest of all time, Harrison offered a surprisingly humble perspective. “I have nothing left to prove to anyone. I’m doing this because I love it,” she said. “The goal is not to be the greatest of all time for all time, you know? I just want to get there. And then maybe it’s a month later, maybe it’s a week later, maybe it’s a year later, there’s going to be some other girl who surpasses all of the things that I did.”

Harrison also expressed interest in potentially facing flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko after the Nunes matchup, calling Shevchenko’s recent dominant victory “an absolute master class.” As for 2026 potentially being her final year competing at the highest level, Harrison remained noncommittal: “I’ll know when it’s time.”

Holy Field