Bad news for anyone hoping to see judo Olympian Kayla Harrison as the next big star in mixed martial arts.
After winning her second Olympic gold medal, the 26-year-old American judoka told reporters that she has no plans of entering the cage.
“After a match in judo, you shake a person’s hand or you give them a hug. You bow to them to show respect. MMA isn’t like that. I don’t know if I’m cut out for a world where you get fights based on how pretty you are and how much you talk, and . . . not necessarily what you’ve done in the ring.”
Kayla did keep MMA fans hopes up, though. She told reporters to “never say never” and even acknowledged the potential of the octagon to draw more attention to the art of judo.
However, she also pointed out all of the attention the Olympics had drawn to the old Japanese art and made it clear that, at least right now, “the answer is no to MMA.”
You can watch portions of her interview here:
