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Kayla Harrison ready to win another $1M at PFL Championship, hopes to inspire young girls

Two-time gold medalist Kayla Harrison tells Kevin Iole that she's better at every facet of MMA than Taylor Guardado, who she faces Wednesday in the main event of the PFL Championship at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

KEVIN IOLE: Hey, folks. I am Kevin Iole. Welcome to Yahoo Sports championship week in MMA this week and on Wednesday, one of the biggest ones. And my next guest, Kayla Harrison, is main eventing and looking for that million dollar prize in the PFL women's lightweight finals.

Kayla joins me now. She will be fighting Taylor Guardado, who I understand has been getting a lot of heat because she's fighting Kayla. So how are you doing, Kayla? And-- and what-- what do you make of all these MMA fans going after Taylor?

KAYLA HARRISON: Well, thank you for having me. I'm doing good, and I am surprised by that, I guess, because I also get a lot of hate. So I think MMA fans in general are just hateful-- hateful people, so which is not surprising.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

KEVIN IOLE: --myself, so it's [INAUDIBLE] there.

KAYLA HARRISON: Yeah, I'm sorry that Taylor is getting some hate but that comes with the territory of fighting in a championship fight, so get used to it, sweetheart.

KEVIN IOLE: You know, I want-- I want to get into the fight a little bit. But the first thing I want to ask you is, you, know it seems like even at 1:45, you know, there's a dearth of a lot of good-sized females. And I know there are women in other sports, you know, and I think the WNBA, track and field, maybe soccer, that have women your size and above.

And you know, I think, what do we have to do to get those women to, you know, as kids choose MMA as opposed to choosing other sports and go these other paths. Is it a financial thing? Or is it something else, do you think?

KAYLA HARRISON: Well, I think, it's starting to happen. You know, you're starting to see women-- you're starting to see young girls, young super athletic, talented, female fighters who are transitioning over into MMA or who have started with MMA as their sport.

You know, younger and younger, you see these girls who are just like studs. And I think it's just going to take time. They're men-- men's MMA on the big stage has been around a lot longer than women's MMA. And I think that you see the growth rate at an exponential rate right now for women.

Like the women who were successful in May 5 years ago are not going to have the same success that they had then now. Just because the athletes, the fighters, the females are evolving so fast. And I think it's another thing where you have to build it, you know? These things take time.

I'm very proud to have started at 155 pound weight class. I think there needs to be more and more weight classes added on the female side. And if you build it, they will come, you know? It's-- women come in all shapes and sizes just like men. So I think it's going to take time but not as much time-- it's not going to take 25 years, you know?

I think 10 years from now, we're going to see just like this explosion of-- because it's not just in the United States. It's worldwide, that MMA is taking over, you know? You look at having a champion like Zhang in China, and you look at Yolana in Poland. And, I mean, it's just-- it's a global thing.

And my prediction is, you know, 10 years from now, there's going to be girls that started MMA today and would eat, you know, Amanda's and Kayla's for breakfast.

KEVIN IOLE: That's a scary thought. When I see the truth, my god, that's-- that's kind of scary. But you like maybe-- you know, Ronda Rousey gets a lot of credit for helping bring women to--

KAYLA HARRISON: As she should

KEVIN IOLE: --where it is now. But in terms, you know, in terms of the 145s, 155s, and as you say even going to bigger weight classes, do you think that, you know, might be the person that can have that impact because, you know, you're [INAUDIBLE] on both streaming and on mainstream television.

So you're out there, and you're a woman with an unbelievable back story, not just a great athlete, but you know you've overcome a lot in your life. And you're becoming a mother late in life like you've done, and everything is just amazing.

If you can be that person for the little girls that can say, like a lot of golfer, you know, Black kids that were golfers, I want to be like Tiger Woods, can say, hey, I want to be like Kayla Harrison?

KAYLA HARRISON: I mean, absolutely, that's-- that's part of the goal, you know? I want to be a role model for young girls. I want them to know that strong is beautiful. I want them to know that powerful is something to be-- something to aim for, you know?

I-- I think that in our society, we still put a lot of emphasis on, you know, the thinner you are, the prettier you are. And the-- for women, you know, the more you-- a lot of the focus is on unhealthy aspirations.

So for me, it's important that young girls can look at me and say, like, I think she's-- I think she's really bad ass, and she's really confident, and she seems really happy. And I want to be like that. I don't want to have to spend five hours putting on makeup.

Or you know, I don't want to go to the gym to-- to be thin. I want to go to the gym to be strong-- and sort of having a healthy outlook on body image and body positivity, and just like overall health and wellness, you know?

Like, I'm not-- I'm not the perfect role model. But I can tell you that I live a very healthy lifestyle. I'm very comfortable in my skin, and I love who I am as a person. And that's a result of being true to myself. So the more we stay true to ourselves, I think the better the outcome will be.

KEVIN IOLE: Kelly, just to wrap on this topic, you came up-- you know, I think most people who follow MMA know you came up through judo, won two Olympic gold medals for the United States. Did judo have the same problem attracting, you know, a-- woman, the larger women? Or did they have-- was that not an issue there?

KAYLA HARRISON: No. I mean, I think, and a big part of it was that very quickly women's judo was completely equal to men's judo. Like, there were seven female weight classes, seven male weight classes. The rules are exactly the same.

There was still a little more participation, like the numbers were higher for men. But it was extremely competitive from 48 kilos, which is 105 pounds to women's heavyweight, which is no weight limit. Like, there are studs at every single weight class, and it was competitive in every single weight.

So obviously, the average size had more-- you know, it was technically, I think, like the average size is 63 kilos or 57 kilos. So those weight classes were more heavily participated in. But I think judo did a really good job of jumping on that and saying like, oh, you know, we're going to-- women are equal to men. So we're going to treat them as such.

KEVIN IOLE: Right, that's awesome. No, I'm glad-- glad to hear that. And I think MMA has largely done that, right? I mean, I think, you know, starting as far as I can remember, women's fights always got equal coverage to men's fights.

And you know, you made a point when you're-- when you're fighting Gina Fabian. There was a conference call that I thought was kind of interesting when-- you know, when you rebuke the reporter for speaking about Janice's looks.

And-- and, , you know I wonder, I guess, I don't want to get off and I don't want to mention the reporter's name, and I-- I don't think he understood really what-- what-- the mistake that he made.

KAYLA HARRISON: Yeah, I agree.

KEVIN IOLE: But is that something that you guys still have to deal with? Like I don't-- you know, you pointed out, hey, men don't have to talk about your handsome, right? You know, do you think that something that-- that women fighters [INAUDIBLE]?

KAYLA HARRISON: For sure. And I-- listen. I wasn't like-- I don't think the guy had ill intentions. I don't think he was trying to be whatever. But that-- that just goes to show you how deeply, like subconscious, saying something like that is to a female fighter or a female professional.

Like, it's-- you don't even think it's a weird thing to say like, oh, you're pretty-- pretty good looking, too. Like--

KEVIN IOLE: Right.

KAYLA HARRISON: I've never, in a million years, I would never say that to a guy. Like I don't know. You never hear that happening. And I think--

KEVIN IOLE: I'm used to it not happening. But--

KAYLA HARRISON: [LAUGHS] I think that it's-- our sport is still hypersexualized for women, you know? You look at a lot of-- and I don't-- I mean, I don't-- I don't know how to like break that barrier down, and fix that, and change that. I'm just one person. I'm not--

My goal is just to be respected as a person. And I think that everyone should be treated as a human being, you know? It doesn't really matter. This is just a shell. Like this is just a tool. For me, this is-- my body is my tool. That's it.

So I don't want to be judged based off of that. I don't want to judge anyone else based off of, you know, this shell. Like to me, that's superficial, shallow, and, ultimately, like the kind of conversations I don't want to be having in my life.

Like I don't-- I don't care what you look like. I care about who you are as a person and who you are as a fighter. If you're a reporter, like what your standards, and morals, and values, and fight IQ-- like just-- I don't know. To me, that stuff doesn't-- it doesn't matter. Like this is

KEVIN IOLE: Kelly, let's transition, you know? One of the things-- I've-- I've had a problem with you in terms of ranking. So I do a pound-for-pound top 10 men and women--

KAYLA HARRISON: You have a problem with me?

KEVIN IOLE: Well, here's my-- here's my problem. I don't-- how do I judge you-- so right now, you're ranked number 3 pound-for-pound on-- on the Yahoo Sports poll, which is basically--

KAYLA HARRISON: Wow!

KEVIN IOLE: Which is my opinion. So you can just smack me. But I-- I have Amanda, Valentina, and yourself-- one, two, three. And I-- for a while, I did not have you ranked, even though I thought, you know, she's going to beat most of these girls that-- that I have in the top 10. She would beat most of these women that are there.

But then, you know, going back to what we talked about before, you know, the competition at that level that you're at isn't as deep as it is, like say, at 135 in one [INAUDIBLE]. So from your standpoint, like how do you evaluate yourself?

Like you know, it's hard for us as laypeople on the outside. We don't know, you now a lot of the opponents that you face because they're not getting a lot of exposure until they fight somebody like you. How do you evaluate yourself? And where are you in this journey? Do you feel like when you started, you know, and to where you are now, that you've made the kind of progress you expected?

KAYLA HARRISON: Yeah, I feel like-- one way that I-- I try and judge myself is I look at the Kayla of the last fight and what the Kayla of this fight would do to that Kayla or what the Kayla of 2020. How would she fare against the Kayla of 2021?

And I would eat-- I would eat that Kayla alive, you know? The Kayla who had her debut, she wouldn't last-- she wouldn't last around in a cage with me. And I think rankings don't really matter to me. I'm not-- they're all subjective. They're all based on people's opinions. And I'm not out here trying to win people's hearts and opinions over. I'm trying to be the best possible version of myself.

KEVIN IOLE: Win a million bucks.

KAYLA HARRISON: And win a million bucks inside the cage and outside the cage. So for me, I don't put a lot of emphasis on those things. It's just part of-- again, it's another kind of like outside noise thing that people like to focus on or think about.

But I know for a fact that I'm one of the best in the world right now. And I know that I'm getting closer and closer every day to being a Kayla that I will be satisfied with. And when I get to that point where I know that I've reached that potential, that's the day I walk away from the sport. So--

KEVIN IOLE: Interesting. Now, I thought after that Jenna Fabian victory, that you were about to call out Israel Adesanya who's going, well, we have some history.

KAYLA HARRISON: Calm down, Kayla.

KEVIN IOLE: [LAUGHS] The way you were [INAUDIBLE]. Let's talk about Taylor Guardado and what she brings to the table. Obviously, she's what? 3 and 1, I believe her-- her record is. How do you--

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

KAYLA HARRISON: Yeah, I'm good. Thanks. Housekeeping.

[CHUCKLES]

KEVIN IOLE: What kind of challenge is she to you? Where's her-- where's the biggest threat she posed?

KAYLA HARRISON: Yeah. I mean, listen. Everybody-- sorry, I have a little bit of a sinus infection--

KEVIN IOLE: Me too, and I'm-- I'm trying-- that's why my face--

KAYLA HARRISON: I know. I'm trying not to cough-- so annoying. I think that everyone's tough until you beat them, you know? It's-- we're both going in there with a million on the line. She's coming in there to take my head off and take me out. And it's my job to put a stop to that.

I think that she's a good grappler. You know, she had a very good amateur record where she only lost to Ronda. She's done a great job this season of finding a way to win. But I think that I'm better everywhere.

I think that there's levels to this. And I think that I'll be comfortable on my feet. I'll be comfortable on the ground. I'll be comfortable if she shoots, and I have to defensive wrestle. And I'll be comfortable picking my shots and securing a takedown at-- at will. So she's-- she's tough. She's gamed. She's hungry. But I'm better everywhere.

KEVIN IOLE: You know, sometimes, good athletes-- they have a little drop in a performance once in a while when-- when they fight some-- you know, they face someone that there's a huge [INAUDIBLE] unexpected. You haven't had that right?

I guess, you know, maybe you say you're Larissa Pacheco fights, you didn't finish them. But you know, she's a good, you, know good strong fighter. But I mean, you know, how have you been able to maintain that focus even though, you know, you're overwhelmingly favored almost every time out, and, you know, nobody has really been able to challenge you all that much.

How do you maintain that focus going forward and not just kind of back off, hey, this one's not going to be that tough either?

KAYLA HARRISON: Because it's never really about my opponent, you know? It's never really about the girl across the cage for me. It's about-- it's about me. It's about-- I have this internal desire and drive to be the best. I don't-- you know, I've never listened to music to get me motivated. I've never had to watched pod-- watch-- listen to podcasts or put a picture of my opponent on my mirror.

Like this has been a thing since I was a child, that has just been internal and wakes me up every day, keeps me up at night sometimes, just because I want to be the best. And I know nobody works harder than me. I don't skip days at the gym. I don't skip days of-- of training my brain. I don't rest on my laurels.

And I deserve to win, so I go out there. And-- and I know that I've done-- done the work. I put in the time, and I deserve to win. And it's just a matter of time until I find that opening, take that kill shot.

KEVIN IOLE: You said something interesting there. You know, you said you train your brain. And I know a lot of athletes, you know, have sports psychologists to work. What do you do in that regard to try to work on your mental side of your game?

KAYLA HARRISON: Yeah, well, I think that, number one, mental health is just as important as physical health. So obviously, I've had a very traumatic life, I guess, you could say. There's been a lot of trauma and wounds that I've had to deal with in here.

But I train my brain the same way I train my body. So I still talk to a psychologist once a week just to stay on top and make sure, you know, it's almost like--

KEVIN IOLE: Not to interrupt you, but is it sports that you're talking about? Or is it just [INAUDIBLE]?

KAYLA HARRISON: The sports side of it, I do on my own. I don't have a sports psychologist. I check in with a regular psychologist because becoming a mother, dealing with the pressures of trying to figure out this weird sport of MMA and fame not fame, like you know, pressure not-- like that's all part of, I would say, my overall mental health.

Also just dealing with life-- you know, the things that happen in life. Life hits hard, man. Nothing hits as hard as life. So I have a regular psychologist. For the mental side of fighting, I have a routine that I have developed over years of-- of being an Olympic athlete.

And that's just every night, I visualized for 10 minutes. I visualized my next fight, what it's going to be like, you know, every single moment from packing my bag to the ride to the arena, to warming up, to getting my hands wrapped, to-- you know, they'll walk out, the first round, all the exchanges, the second round, the third round, the fourth round, the fifth round.

I visualized myself smashing my opponent, taking them down, kicking them in the head, kicking-- you know, all of it, my hand being raised, hugging my family. I visualize all that every night, so that by the time I've gotten there, my brain has been through it thousands of times. And it's prepared to make that-- to take that path to success.

And I also just do a lot of positive thinking and a lot of goal setting. So of course, everyone has doubts. Of course, everyone has anxiety, fear. But I try and always drown that out with positive affirmations. I even have an app on my phone that like every 20 minutes pops up with a positive affirmation. You know--

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

Huh?

KEVIN IOLE: I mean, I need that on the golf course.

KAYLA HARRISON: Yeah, yeah. It's great though. I mean, it's to remind yourself that, you know-- of course, it's OK to have doubts. It's OK to have fears. But ultimately, the positive is going to outshine the negative, where you say, I'm Kayla Harrison, two-time Olympic champion. This is my day. This is my purpose. I'm not afraid to win, you know?

And then I just set my goals, and I look at them every day. And I write them down, and I write down what I need to focus on. And I make sure that I'm not skipping any steps to get to that goal. And all year long, it's been one fight at a time, one round at a time, one minute at a time, one exchange at a time, one breath at a time to get to this fight. This is the big goal.

And it's the same thing-- one round at a time, one minute 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 instill my will.

KEVIN IOLE: You know, you mentioned the Olympics. You repeated as Olympic champion. And now, you're going to repeat-- trying to repeat as PFL champion. What-- for the Olympics, what was more meaningful to you? The first one, you know, because it's new and everything, or-- or doing it a second time and making history?

And it'll be the same in terms of MMA if you're fortunate enough to-- to win the title on Wednesday.

KAYLA HARRISON: When I win the title on Wednesday. This is such-- it's like asking which one of your kids is your favorite. You know, it's really tough. They're both so meaningful and special to me in different ways in London. No one had done it from the US. No one was sure-- I was-- I wasn't even sure.

Like I was like, are you really going to-- are you going to be the one Kayla to-- to become-- you know, like it was-- there was a lot of questioning. So to be America's first was truly special. But the second one, equally-- like I had to overcome a lot of hurdles, and knee surgeries, and injuries, and burnout, and questioning my decision.

And again, it was like so few people repeat as an Olympic champion. It was like, really, Kayla? You think you're going to-- you think you're going to repeat? You think you're special? And so they were both really-- I mean, I cherish it both. Just-- and also the memories and the journey to get to those moments.

I didn't realize it until I was there. But that was kind of what it was all about for me-- like just the people I met, the places I went, the things I did, the-- the sacrifices I made, the person I became to become an Olympic champion, not-- not the gold medal, not becoming an Olympic champion, but the human being that I became as a result of that journey was really what mattered the most.

And the same goes for the-- for the PFL title, you know? I-- I will tell you that this year has definitely been, personally, a very hard year for me, just kind of behind the scenes and dealing with a lot of stuff and battles that people don't even really know anything about.

And I would say that this year, of course, winning the first, being the first 155 women's lightweight PFL champion, it is special. And it's going to hold a place in my heart forever. But this year is going to be special, too, because I'm going to know everything that I had to overcome to get to it, and the victory is going to be that much sweeter.

KEVIN IOLE: Let's wrap up with this, you know, kind of a personal question. But you know, the PFL champion wins a million as we mentioned before. I think sometimes people think you're getting a million in your bank account and walking away with that.

How much do you leave with when you pay, you know, all your expenses, and you get trainers and whatnot. You have all that stuff, you know, and the taxes and everything walk out. Like how much-- how much do you wind up with out of that million?

KAYLA HARRISON: Not as much as people think. You know, that tax bracket hits a little bit different. It's quite a bit of money goes to the government.

KEVIN IOLE: My [INAUDIBLE]. Thank you, Kayla.

KAYLA HARRISON: That's one thing that always-- like hurts my heart a little bit. Like I grew up getting-- I grew up very poor. Like I used to get money back from the government. And the first time like when I won this million dollars, and I realized how much money I was going to have to give to them, I was like, you-- you got to be kidding me.

Like this is some kind of sick joke. Like I earned that, didn't I? What do you mean? But, you know, if you're paying a lot of money, it means you're making a lot of money. So it's a-- it's a blessing. I live very frugally. I live within my means. You know, I don't have a fancy car. I don't have a giant house.

We don't have-- all the nice things I own that our clothes Ali has bought me because I refuse to pay that kind of money for stuff. Most of my money goes away for-- to my financial advisors. I don't even-- I don't even get to see it. But I will tell you, it's not a million that you get from that check. It's quite a bit less. So--

KEVIN IOLE: I don't want to get-- I don't want to get Henry Cejudo mad at Ali. But I think we know who Ali's favorite MMA fighter is.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

KAYLA HARRISON: As I walk in with my new-- my new Dior shoes that Ali brought special for me-- yeah, everybody knows who Ali's favorite is. They all do.

KEVIN IOLE: And even I know. And look at me. I'm--

KAYLA HARRISON: [LAUGHS]

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

Henry, they all wish they could be me. They all wish they were the favorite.

KEVIN IOLE: Don't you wish you could be Kayla Harrison, too? Kayla, good luck on Wednesday. We appreciate you. All the best. Always enjoy chatting with you. Thank you so much.

KAYLA HARRISON: My pleasure. Thanks, Kevin.

KEVIN IOLE: Yeah.