Two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison has just signed with World Series of Fighting (WSOF).

Harrison told the website MMAjunkie that she will fight in WSOF and also become a commentator from 31 December.

She plans to transition to being an MMA fighter.

Harrison stated:

“I’ve been boxing and doing jiu-jitsu and all that, and the biggest thing for me, really, is that I miss competing,” Harrison said. “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,” Harrison said. “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,” Harrison said. “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.”

Harrison is aware of the behind the scenes aspect of MMA very well – she’s a former judo teammate of Ronda Rousey and the two are friends to this day. It’s certainly true that Ronda’s personality and charisma played into her success in the UFC.

“I love competing and I love fighting, but i’m not a big talker,” Harrison said. “Ronda and I were teammates for years, but Ronda is much more controversial than me. She’s not afraid to say ‘screw you’ to whoever she feels like it and that is something I applaud her for. I’m a little more diplomatic, I would say.”

Interestingly Harrison talked with Ronda Rousey regarding weight classes. Kayla is in a special conundrums she competed in the Olympics at around 172 lbs which is a weight class that doesn’t exist. Rousey assured her that the weight would come off as soon as she started training in multiple disciplines.