UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison has drawn a clear line for the promotion: open a 145 lbs division or accept that she will walk away from the sport after her anticipated bout with Amanda Nunes.
Speaking on a recent podcast with host Jorge Masvidal, Harrison made her intentions known directly. When asked about the prospect of the UFC reopening the women’s featherweight division for her, she did not hold back.
She said, “Yeah, dude. That’s the plan. I mean, they don’t know it, but once I f*** up Amanda, I’m just gonna be like, ‘Listen.'”
Harrison competed in judo at 172 lbs (78kg) and later competed in the PFL at 155 lbs (70 kg) before cutting down to 135 lbs (61 kg) for the UFC. She has not weighed 135 lbs since she was 16 years old, and the physical demands of maintaining that weight have taken a visible toll.
“I’m going to ask them to make a 145 lbs so I can be more active,” she said, before setting out the alternative. “If they don’t want to make a 145 lbs, then I’m just going to say like, ‘Thank you. It’s been great.'”
She was frank about the cost of continuing at bantamweight: “It’s just like taking years off my life. I’m not going to lie to you.”
There is one athlete however, who could change the terms. Harrison confirmed she would be willing to cut back down to 135 lbs if Valentina Shevchenko, who competes at 125 lbs, were interested in a matchup.
“Unless Valentina wants to compete, because I know she’s a 125, then I would cut down again, because she’s a legacy. She’s a legacy match, you know,” Harrison said. “I’d compete against her at 135.”
Beyond that single exception, her position stands firm. She sees 145 lbs as the weight class where she can compete more regularly and believes the support for a women’s featherweight division has grown considerably.
Harrison is currently working through the recovery process following an injury and is awaiting a CT scan. If the results come back clear, she expects to begin drilling shortly after, with a return to sparring to follow within a few weeks.
