Kayla Harrison Won’t Be Competing In Promotion’s Season-Style Format In 2023: “This Will Be My Last Season”
Undefeated PFL women’s lightweight champion, Kayla Harrison, revealed that the 2022 PFL Finals on November 25th would be her last appearance in the promotion’s season-long tournament format.
Harrison recently spoke with MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin and confirmed that she wouldn’t be participating in the PFL’s season-style schedule going forward, explaining the toll that it takes on her mental and physical well-being. The 32-year-old Middletown, Ohio native plans on waiting for big fights in 2023 instead.
“Yeah, this will be my last season,” Harrison said. “I’m 32. When I tell you that it is a mental and physical grind to get to this title, it certainly is. I can’t even imagine trying to make 145 pounds four times in six months. I think that is, for me, impossible. I’m hypoglycemic. It would be a health risk, and I wouldn’t be performing at my best if I did that to my body. I know it’s time for me to be patient and get the big fights. There’s a chance [this is my last fight at 155 pounds]. For me, that is the hardest part. I don’t have a life. You think that I’ve done anything fun this year? You think that I’ve had enough energy to brush my hair this year? I wake up, I take my kids to school, I eat breakfast, I train, I come home, I shower as fast as I can, I pick up my kids, I take them to their activities, I have help, she shows up and helps make dinner or I make dinner, and then I go train again. I come home, I help with bath time and bedtime, I go to sleep, and then I do it all over again. Every eight weeks, every 10 weeks, I have a fight. I don’t travel. I don’t see my other family. I don’t go to fun events. If something hurts, you better figure it out fast, because you’ve got a fight in three weeks. Oh, if you have a medical issue, you have a health concern, you have things that need surgery, you’ve got to put it off. You have stuff that you’re supposed to be working on like your foundation, well, you’ve got to put it off, because you don’t have enough energy. It is a mental and physical grind. It’s not so much about the opponents, but every single time I step in that cage, I’m putting my legacy on the line. I have a desire to achieve great things. It’s f****** hard.”
Main Event. A Chance at History. 2022 PFL Women’s Lightweight World Title. $1 Million@KaylaH — @pachecolarissa_
[#PFLWorldChampionship –️ https://t.co/H1nsW6rfyw Fri, Nov 25] pic.twitter.com/KkNZYI5M3l— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 3, 2022
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