Kayla Harrison Refuses to Sit around waiting for Cris Cyborg to sign the contract: ‘I can’t play these games’
Kayla Harrison is ready for a long-awaited showdown with Cris Cyborg, but she has no interest in waiting around for the Bellator champ to sign on the dotted line.
A year removed from her first loss inside the PFL Smart Cage, Harrison returned looking as sharp as ever at the promotion’s final event of 2023. Squaring off with former UFC standout Aspen Ladd, Harrison delivered a dominant performance and left with her hand raised via a unanimous decision.
Following the victory, Harrison once again called out the reigning Bellator featherweight champ but made it clear that she won’t be waiting around long for Cyborg to finally step up and accept the challenge.
“I don’t know, I can’t play these games,” Harrison said in her post-fight scrum. “I’m a mom, I’m tired. I don’t care. I hope she fights me, but if she doesn’t, it’s her loss. It’s the fans’ loss, really, because I think it’s an amazing fight. I respect her, I think that she goes out there and implements her game plan, and she’s tenacious, she’s a killer, she goes after her opponents, and she’s one of the best to ever do it.
“I have nothing but respect for her, but I want to get in the cage and try to beat the sh*t out of her. That’s it” (h/t MMA Fighting).
Cyborg Responds to Kayla Harrison’s Call-Out
Cyborg responded to Harrison’s call-out on social media, releasing a video of herself watching the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s challenge before nonchalantly walking away.
With Amanda Nunes retiring earlier this year, a fight with Cris Cyborg is undoubtedly the biggest matchup out there for Kayla Harrison. And with the PFL acquiring Bellator MMA in a blockbuster deal, everything is seemingly lined up to make their fight a reality in 2024.
“I’m not going to wait,” Harrison continued. “I’m 33, I got into this sport to be the best and to climb as high as I can climb. I feel like I’m hitting my stride now, I’m hitting my peak, I’m in a great place, but I’m not going to do this forever.
“I’ve been doing two-a-days since I was 12 years old, so my body isn’t going to be in great shape at 40. But I do love it, but I’m not going to wait for anybody. I just waited a year and it almost killed me so I’m not waiting for anybody.”
