Jun 7, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, UNITED STATES; Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) prepares to fight Julianna Pena (not pictured) in a bantamweight title bout during UFC 316 at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Kayla Harrison Reveals Which Was Tougher: Olympic Glory Or UFC Gold

Kayla Harrison refuses to answer the question about the difficulty of obtaining an Olympic gold medal vs a UFC title!

Very few athletes ever reach the top of one sport, let alone two completely different ones. Kayla Harrison belongs to an extremely exclusive club of champions who have conquered multiple worlds. She started her journey on the judo mats. Years of training led her to Olympic glory twice, making her the first American woman to win gold in judo. But the combat sports world kept calling her name, and mixed martial arts offered a new mountain to climb.

The transition from Olympic judo to professional MMA isn’t something most athletes can pull off successfully. Different rules, different strategies, and completely different pressures define each sport. Harrison dominated the PFL before finally making her way to the UFC, where she faced the ultimate test. Her submission victory over Julianna Pena at UFC 316 crowned her as the new bantamweight champion, completing a remarkable journey from Olympic podium to UFC gold. Now everyone wants to know which achievement means more to the woman who has done what seemed impossible.

Kayla Harrison Gets An Impossible Question To Answer

When reporters at the UFC 316 post-fight press conferenc asked Kayla Harrison to compare winning Olympic gold to capturing UFC championship gold, she gave the most relatable answer possible.

“This is like picking a favorite child. I don’t have any favorite children. One of them gets on my nerves more than the other, but I love them both. I can’t answer it. They’re both special.”

UFC champ vs. Olympic champ?

Kayla Harrison has a hard time answering which is harder to achieve after her #UFC316 title win pic.twitter.com/KTZZocOirM
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 8, 2025

The path to Olympic success requires a completely different mindset than climbing the UFC ladder. Olympic judo follows strict rules and traditions that have existed for decades. Athletes train for years focusing on specific techniques and strategies that work within those parameters. Harrison mastered this system so thoroughly that she became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in the sport.

MMA presents a more unpredictable challenge where anything can happen inside the octagon. Fighters must prepare for striking, grappling, submissions, and everything in between. Harrison’s judo background gave her a strong foundation, but she had to learn entirely new skills to compete at the highest level. Her two PFL lightweight championships and the UFC bantamweight championship proved she could adapt her Olympic-level grappling to the mixed martial arts world.

Harrison has thrived in both environments, proving that champion mentality translates across different sports and competition formats. Her refusal to pick favorites between her Olympic gold medals and UFC championship shows the respect she has for both incredible accomplishments.

(Image Credit: Vincent Carchietta – Imagn Images)

Kayla Harrison

UFC 316

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!