Olympian and UFC Star Kayla Harrison Explains How to Push Forward Even if You Have No Motivation
Kayla Harrison may not always be motivated, but she’s disciplined.
As a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a two-time PFL women’s champion, and (probably) a future UFC champion, there are few fighters in the sport of mixed martial arts more accomplished than Harrison. But even someone as accomplished as her struggles to continue doing all the things that make up a world champion.
Recently, Harrison offered her insight into how one builds self-discipline even when one’s motivation is sorely lacking.
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“One of my favorite quotes is, ‘I won’t always be motivated but I will be disciplined.’ For me, that starts with my daily habits,” Harrison said on Instagram.
“My daily habits affect my long-term discipline and it’s not one day. It’s every single day. Another one of my favorite quotes about the Olympics was, ‘It’s not every four years, it’s every day.’ So every day I have little habits. Right now it’s water, vitamins, pray, read my bible, train. Stick to my diet. Spend time outside. Journal, meditate, and [my] recovery protocol.
“Those are things that I work on right now. Over time, they build up and become a gateway to reaching big goals. It’s not on the night of the fight. It’s the six months leading up to the fight and I’m not always going to be motivated, but every day I can do something to put a little bit of money in the bank and get one step closer to my goal.”
Is a UFC title shot next for kayla Harrison?
Clearly, that practice has been serving Harrison quite well. Currently, Harrison is 18-1 in her professional MMA career with 13 of her wins coming inside the distance.
After dominating women inside the PFL Smart Cage for five years, Harrison made the move to the UFC in 2024 and immediately made a statement with her impressive second-round submission victory over former bantamweight queen Holly Holm at UFC 300.
She has since added another win to her resume, besting Ketlen Vieira in her sophomore appearance with the promotion in October.
What’s next for Harrison remains to be seen, but all signs seemingly point to a clash with reigning UFC women’s bantamweight titleholder Julianna Pena.
