"Conor was thinking the same" - When fans mocked Kayla Harrison for claiming she would beat Khabib Nurmagomedov in Judo
The UFC's latest star signing Kayla Harrison is no stranger to run-ins with UFC fans, as the 2019 PFL women's lightweight champion had once compared herself to then-UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In an interview with TMZ in 2019, Harrison stated that she would get the better of Nurmagomedov in a judo match, saying:
“Right now could I beat a guy that’s my size? I mean, maybe if he was like a journeyman or something, I don’t know. I’m not gonna say, ‘Oh yeah I could beat Frankie Edgar’ like I’m not an idiot. Am I gonna beat Khabib? You think I’m gonna beat Khabib? He’s under 155 pounds. I mean, I think I would beat him in a judo match, for sure. Hundred percent, I would beat Khabib.”
Check out her comments below:
Harrison's comments prompted fans to remind her of Nurmagomedov's achievements and all the prominent fighters he had beaten, including the likes of Conor McGregor, among others.
Users said:
"Conor was thinking the same"
"They all believe but after first round they don't believe"-Khabib Nurmagomedov"
""I'm not an idiot" 15 seconds later "I could definitely beat Khabib in a judo match"..."
"When your skills dont pay off you take the "Conor route""
Fans also wondered if Harrison was aware of Nurmagomedov's judo skills, with one user saying:
"Kayla probably doesn't know that Khabib has Judo credentials."
Check out some of the top comments below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager Ali Abdelaziz also compared Kayla Harrison to 'The Eagle'
Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager and CEO of Dominance MMA, Ali Abdelaziz also once compared Kayla Harrison to the UFC Hall of Famer.
In an interview with MMA Fighting back in 2021, Abdelaziz lauded Harrison as one of the most accomplished combat sports athletes in the world and even backed her to beat her male counterparts.
Abdelaziz went on to compare her dominance to Khabib Nurmagomedov and even suggested she may be outdoing him in that department. He said:
"When you talk about Kayla Harrison, I think credential-wise there's not a man or woman to ever come to the sport having her credentials. She's a two-time Olympic champion. She's a judo world champion and a PFL champion... Right now she's one of the biggest superstars in MMA. I truly believe she's the pound-for-pound the greatest female fighter on the planet today. I think Kayla Harrison can beat some of the guys... The last time we saw someone did this to people was Khabib and she does it more efficiently. She does it more faster. Maybe she's doing it better."
Check out his full comments below (3:20):