Kayla Harrison reacts to Cris Cyborg’s 80/20 financial split demand: “I don’t do this for money.”
Kayla Harrison responds to Cris Cyborg’s financial demands, letting her know that her love for fighting outweighs her financial needs.
Kayla Harrison and Cris Cyborg have a long history of going back and forth on social media and in interviews. For a while, it seemed inevitable that the two women will face off inside the cage sooner rather than later. Most recently, Donn Davis, the founder and chairman of PFL MMA, offered a potential finance split between the two women if they were to sign the contract. This included a Rolls-Royce and his claim for the biggest cash purse in female MMA history.
To which, Cris Cyborg responded with an 80 to 20 split, now that Harrison is no longer undefeated. But, it seems as if Kayla Harrison isn’t too bothered by Cyborg’s jab as her love for fighting is more important than her paycheques.
“I would love for that (fight) to happen. She knows that I would love for that to happen. I would definitely love to fight Cyborg, Rolls-Royce or no Rolls-Royce. I don’t do this for the money, I don’t do it for fancy cars. I actually do really love what I do… It means a lot for me.” (H/T MiddleEasy)
Kayla Harrison is ready to make her fight with Cris Cyborg
Of course, it’s not always up to the fighter whether their deserved fight comes to fruition. There can be hurdles like management and promotions that get in the way. And Kayla Harrison might love fighting more than money, but her manager, Ali Abdelaziz will have her financial interest in mind.
“I mean, I don’t care (about the purse split). I don’t do this for money. Obviously, Ali would murder me. I have to take care of my family. That’s for my managerial team to figure out,” Harrison added. “I’m just a fighter, I don’t crunch numbers.”
As for the other hurdle, Cris Cyborg is currently under a Bellator contract, while Kayla Harrison fights under the PFL banner. So, if the fight were to take place, the two promotions would have to co-promote. Scott Coker has been open to the idea of co-promotion and has done regular events with promotions like Dream and Rizin. So, there is a possibility there.
Otherwise, Kayla Harrison would have to wait until next year to be free of her PFL contract and then come over to Bellator to make this fight happen. But a lot of things can change in that time as Cris Cyborg nears 38 years of age and has shown a liking to boxing in recent times.
