After Suffering Her First Defeat, Kayla Harrison Is Working to Reach a New Level of Greatness

Plus, UFC 286 predictions.

Kayla Harrison’s hand was raised in her first 15 MMA bouts. That followed her sensational run in judo, where she attained two Olympic gold medals. Even with all that success behind her, Harrison believes that her absolute best is still ahead of her.

A two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion, Harrison (15–1) suffered her first defeat in November against Larissa Pacheco. That journey into such foreign terrain—when it comes to competition, Harrison was a complete stranger to loss—has been more beneficial than she ever envisioned.

“The loss was like a spiritual awakening,” says Harrison. “For me, for the longest time, it was either I’d become the best of all time or die from the shame of failing. I would tell myself, if I didn’t win, I was worthless. I was fighting to earn love. That’s how I’ve felt since I was a child. If I wanted respect, then I needed to win. If I wanted love, then I had to win.”

The five-round decision loss to Pacheco introduced Harrison to a whole new layer of resilience and strength. Only 32, she holds an opportunity to reach new levels of success—and now, like practically every other great in the sport’s past and present, she will seek to overcome defeat and illustrate an even greater resolve in her attack.

“I’m still alive, and the people who cared about me still care about me,” says Harrison. “I’m worth so much more than what I do in the cage. So it was a blessing, and I’m so much happier. I have peace from God.

“I’ve moved on. I’m healthy. The loss wasn’t because I didn’t train hard. I put in the work, the game plan was solid, but it just wasn’t my night. The lowest moment is what I needed for me to get where I need to go.”

At the earliest, it will likely be a few more months before Harrison next competes. That does not mean she is away from the sport. Later this evening, Harrison will be a studio guest panelist for the PFL Challenger Series on Fubo Sports.

“If I can’t be in the cage, I might as well be next to it helping the next generation of fighters,” says Harrison. “It’s a great opportunity, and I love this series. It gives fans a chance to be involved, too. I’m hoping to see a very technical fight. I’ve coached and commentated before, and I’m looking forwarding to being a judge this time.”

Harrison has two fights remaining on her PFL contract. As for her next bout, she is patiently awaiting a chance to fight freely. She will not be weighed down in the cage by the expectations of others, but rather intently focused on delivering her best possible version.

“You can’t rest on your past victories, but neither can you rest on your past defeats,” says Harrison. “Professionally, it’s still yet to be seen, but losing to Larissa may have been the best thing to happen to me personally.

“I’m blessed financially. I have two beautiful children I adopted, and I’m taking this time to be as present as possible with them. I’m still in the gym every day getting better, working on the areas I need to work on—and I’ll remain patient and keep working.”

Edwards or Usman?

Kamaru Usman dominated the overwhelming majority of his last bout against Leon Edwards at UFC 278. Before that, he defeated Edwards by unanimous decision in their three-round bout in 2015. For nearly seven of their eight rounds, Usman has been the superior mixed martial artist.

Yet that is not the entire story. Edwards knocked out Usman with a walk-off kick to the head in their bout last August, taking the welterweight title and etching his name into the UFC history book. It was a stunning moment, one that no one—especially Usman—saw coming.

Now the two fighters meet for their trilogy bout at UFC 286. In addition to the title, a career-defining moment is also at stake. If Usman wins, he’ll prove that Edwards should never be considered his equal. But if Edwards is victorious, it’ll certainly dent Usman’s legacy as one of the greatest welterweights of all time, especially with two losses from Edwards hovering over all his successes—and it officially makes Edwards the best welterweight, without question, in the world.

#UFC286 pic.twitter.com/0ZjjgYsaXK

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 16, 2023

After watching their last two fights, my pick is Usman. He is simply too dominant, and the sample size backs that up. If Usman is healthy—all accounts are that he is not suffering from any type of lingering injury—and remains patient, then I cannot see Edwards pulling off a second monumental upset.

The Pick ‘Em Section:

UFC 286 welterweight title bout: Leon Edwards (c) vs. Kamaru Usman

Pick: Kamaru Usman

UFC 286 lightweight bout: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev

Pick: Justin Gaethje

UFC 286 welterweight bout: Gunnar Nelson vs. Bryan Barberena

Pick: Gunnar Nelson

UFC 286 women’s flyweight bout: Casey O’Neill vs. Jennifer Maia

Pick: Jennifer Maia

UFC 285 middleweight bout: Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze

Pick: Marvin Vettori

Last week: 2–3

2023 record: 24–15

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.