Kayla Harrison has answered Ronda Rousey’s recent rant, dismissing Rousey’s upcoming clash with Gina Carano and drawing a sharp line between their careers.
Rousey is set to return to competition on May 16 against Carano in the first Netflix-streamed MMA event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Harrison, the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, has publicly labeled Rousey vs. Carano as irrelevant to today’s MMA landscape.
Speaking on the UFC Fight Night 274 pre-fight show on Paramount+, Harrison reflected on Rousey’s criticism and legacy. “I can't imagine what it would be like for someone to come in and beat everything I've ever done,” Harrison said. She added, “I will never take away the fact that Ronda is probably the most important female fighter. If it wasn't for her, for sure, I wouldn't be where I'm at. I wouldn't have a job. But this fight is not the greatest fight of all-time. It's between someone who hasn't fought in 10 years and is coming off two knockout losses and another legend, another pioneer who hasn't fought in 17 years and is in her 40s. So don't call it the greatest fight of all time. I'm chasing greatness. You're chasing money. We're different.”
Harrison, who withdrew from a scheduled bout with Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 in January due to neck surgery, said she is now “back” and awaiting a new date for her first title defense against Nunes later this year.
