Kayla Harrison details dark side of punishing weight cut before UFC 316 title win: ‘I wanted to quit’ ...Middle East

Kayla Harrison was forced to overcome many adversities ahead of her UFC 316 title win.

In fact, at one point Harrison began questioning herself as she attempted to make championship weight for the fight.

Harrison was crowned the new women’s bantamweight champion in New Jersey last weekend, submitting Julianna Pena in the second round of their co-main event bout.

Referee Vitor Ribeiro stopped the contest with only five seconds left in the second, five minutes as Pena tapped out instantly to a Kimura from Harrison.

After the fight, Harrison addressed her brutal weight cut to 135lbs.

“This is for anyone who’s ever felt hopeless, who’s wanted to quit, who’s wanted to give up,” she told Joe Rogan.

“On Thursday I wanted to quit, I wanted to give up. I’m referring to 135lbs – only God can get that last pound off me, I’m not strong enough.

“You have to go to a bad place and the only way through is to have surrender and have faith.”

Harrison had showcased a skeletal-like appearance when she made weight on the Friday before UFC 316.

Although she had weighed in at 136lbs for her previous two bouts, shredding the extra pound needed to make the women’s bantamweight title limit proved a real challenge.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist revealed the lengths she went to for her first UFC title fight, speaking to Ariel Helwani on Monday.

“I would’ve cut off my leg [to make 135 lbs],” she said before diving into the details behind her weight cut.

“It’s not good… I don’t know how else to explain it. I don’t think that anyone can really understand that process unless they have gone through it.

“I am not mentally strong enough to do that, God did that. I did want to quit, I didn’t want to be there anymore, I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ But God had other plans. 

“For 15 weeks, I’m on a diet. I only eat what my chef gives to me. If I get really crazy urges or cravings, I’ll have a spoon of peanut butter. I think I did that 3 times during the camp.

“14 weeks out I start walking, so every single day I walk six miles, I bike for two hours, or I swim for like an hour and a half.  On Sundays I usually walk eight [miles].

“That’s on top of the two other training sessions I do a day. In the morning I’m going live, hard, either sparring or grappling.

“At night I’m drilling, and then six weeks out, I start heat acclimation. So three days per week I’m in the sauna for an hour by myself, usually at night because that’s the only time I have to do it after I put my kids to bed…

UFC Women's Pound-For-Pound Rankings

Top 15

“It’s really hard. I just have to keep telling myself that it’s chosen suffering and that it’ll be worth it.”

By defeating Pena, Harrison cemented her name as one of the biggest stars in women’s MMA right now.

After the fight, she faced off with former two-division UFC champion and legend of the sport Amanda Nunes, with the Brazilian confirming she would make return to the Octagon to fight the newly-crowned champion.

“I’m more than happy to come back and fight Kayla,” Nunes said.

This came after Harrison had welcomed Nunes to the Octagon, asserting: “This is the next fight!

Nunes is just one of four fights, alongside Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo and Conor McGregor, to hold two UFC titles simultaneously.

Harrison, meanwhile, is now undefeated in three successive UFC fights since making her promotional debut in April 2024.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Kayla Harrison details dark side of punishing weight cut before UFC 316 title win: ‘I wanted to quit’ )

Also on site :

• "That’s a pick 6 in game": NFl fans react to Cam Ward's pass to Elic Ayomanor during Titans minicamp
• Tips sought in Denver woman’s death nearly 40 years after her body was found in Weld County
• The Undertaker Addresses Recent Heart Surgery: “It Was Terrifying”