Kayla Harrison Signs With World Series of Fighting

MMA Junkie reports that two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison, who competed in judo, has signed with World Series of Fighting. This is her first foray into MMA. She will begin her contract as an analyst on the December 31 New York card. She will also work as a brand ambassador. She previously told The MMA Hour that if she moved to MMA, she would compete at 145 pounds. It’s unknown when her first fight will be.

Harrison said: “I’ve been boxing and doing jiu-jitsu and all that, and the biggest thing for me, really, is that I miss competing. I miss fighting on the highest stages of the world, and the World Series of Fighting really gave me a great opportunity. A lot of times people like to compare me to Ronda. I’m my own person. I make my own decisions. I’ll do it in my own time. I just want everyone to be excited and expect big things from me. This is only the beginning. I’m excited for this new chapter. I’m excited to commentate. I’m excited to be a brand ambassador and help the World Series of Fighting grow their organization, as well as help me grow myself as a fighter, as a brand myself, and my foundation. So it’s all coming together, and I’m really excited to be working with such a positive and professional team.”

WSOF CEO Carlos Silva added: “For me, personally, having been president of Universal Sports and being very involved in the Olympic movement with NBC, I’m personally just very excited to have Kayla join our team. If you haven’t ever held a gold medal or seen a gold medal, it’s special, and the people that get them are special. We’re just excited to have her join the team. I don’t think you ever temper the enthusiasm around a two-time gold medalist in judo. No, I think everyone will be as enthusiastic as we are. She can enter into mixed martial arts with a huge confidence around such a core foundational component of MMA. So I’m not going to try and temper any enthusiasm. People can get as enthusiastic as they want because I know I am.“