"I'm not that spectacular" - Kayla Harrison highlights the differences between her and Ronda Rousey's fighting styles
Kayla Harrison and Ronda Rousey have always been two components of fantasy comparisons in the world of MMA. Both are fellow Olympic judokas, and Kayla Harrison's advent into MMA inevitably led to comparisons with one of the pioneers of women's MMA, Ronda Rousey.
Although the days of comparison are now a thing of the past, Rousey's name still pops up frequently when Kayla Harrison speaks to the media. This is what happened in a recent interview with Combate.com.
Kayla Harrison was asked how her fighting style inside the MMA ring is different from Ronda Rousey's. In response, Harrison said:
"Frankly, I'm not that spectacular. I'm a smart, slow, methodical fighter, I'll tire you out and break you and do ground and pound until I see a submission or I'll keep beating you. For a lot of people, I'm probably not that exciting, because I don't do crazy flying armbars or something! But my goal is to win and be the best, it's not to be famous, get attention or take the sport (upwards). She's already done this hard work, now my job is just to win and keep moving up." [Quotes from Combate.com, originally in Portugese. Translated via Google Translate]
Ronda Rousey's explosive and dynamic submissions inside the octagon usually caught her opponents off guard. However, the difference in explosiveness could also arise because Kayla Harrison fights two weight classes above Ronda Rousey's division when she was in the UFC. While Rousey stuck to the 135-pound division for most of her career, Kayla Harrison competes as a 155-pounder in the PFL.
Also Read: "I'm the baddest woman in this room, and in any room" - Kayla Harrison cuts intense promo following PFL 3 win
Kayla Harrison glad that people have finally moved on from comparisons with Ronda Rousey
The interview reached a point where the fact that earlier comparisons with Ronda Rousey have finally been put to a stop was highlighted.
On being asked how she felt about the comparisons with 'Rowdy' finally out of her life, Kayla Harrison said:
"People moved on. Ronda got on with her life, she is no longer involved in MMA. She will always be part of MMA history, especially in females, but besides being two blonde judokas, we are very, very different. People are finally noticing this."
Also read: 'I want to be the greatest and the greatest fighters compete in the UFC' - Kayla Harrison keen on fighting inside the octagon