Kayla Harrison signs with MMA company; will be broadcaster and fighter

Kayla Harrison, the Middletown native and two-time Olympic judo gold medalist, has signed with the World Series of Fighting.

Harrison will serve as a brand ambassador, commentator and eventually debut as a professional fighter.

“I’ve been boxing and doing jujitsu and all that, and the biggest thing for me, really, is that I miss competing,” Harrison told USA Today Sports. “I miss fighting on the highest stages of the world and the WSOF really gave me a great opportunity.”

Harrison will debut on-air for WSOF on Dec. 31 when WSOF 34 airs on NBC in a event scheduled for The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

WSOF CEO and former Universal Sports president Carlos Silva said adding an Olympic champ to the organization was an exciting development.

“Winning a gold medal or holding one is very special,” Silva said.

Comparisons between Harrison and her former judo sparring partner and fellow Olympic medalist Ronda Rousey have been made for years, especially when Rousey was dominating the UFC women’s division. Those comparisons will grow with Rousey making her comeback fight Dec. 30 for UFC against UFC Women’s Bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes. It’s her first fight since losing the title in Nov. 2015 to Holly Holm. Harrison will make her on-air debut with WSOF the next night as a commentator. Rousey is considered the most popular female athlete in the world, maybe the most popular professional athlete, and is an A-list celebrity with a slate of upcoming movies scheduled

“I just want everyone to be excited and expect big things from me,” Harrison said. “This is only the beginning.”

Harrison was a guest on MMAFighting.com’s The MMA Hour webcast last week. She said if she were to compete in MMA, she would most likely fight in the 145-pound class.

In the 145-pound weight class, Brazilian Crstiane “Cyborg” Justino has been the most dominant fighter in the world. She has a 17-1 professional record with one no contest. She’s currently signed to UFC.

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