Kayla Harrison faced a challenging initiation into the UFC.
As the prominent figure of the PFL since her MMA journey began in 2018, Harrison anticipated a period of adjustment upon transitioning to a new promotion. However, her debut with the UFC proved to be more difficult than anticipated for the two-time Olympic gold medalist. At a UFC 300 Fan Q&A held by the promotion this past weekend, Harrison found herself facing an audience that was particularly unruly.
Opening up to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Harrison discussed her experience leading up to her promotional debut against Holly Holm at UFC 300.
“The culture is very different. I just did my first UFC Q&A last week…Eye-opening…”
“It was a fan Q&A. At one point there was a fan who came up and spoke to Arman [Tsarukyan] in Russian, and Arman was getting booed the whole time. We have talked about it, we’re fine, but the guy basically asked him how many times would — he asked him a really inappropriate question about me. And Arman answered it.”
Following the incident, Harrison and Tsarukyan, who is her teammate at American Top Team, addressed the situation and resolved any misunderstandings. Tsarukyan had also encountered disrespectful fans during the event. Overall, it was a disappointing first encounter with the fan base of the promotion, leaving a profound impact on Harrison.
“I look like an idiot. I’m up on the stage laughing, and Megan Olivi says, ‘Would you care to translate it?’ And Arman’s like, ‘No, stupid question. Move on.’ And then next day, I’m tagged in all these Russian outlets with the translation of what he asked.
“It’s disheartening. It’s disrespectful. I’m a two-time Olympic champion, I’m a world champion, I’m a mother, I’m an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, I wrote a book, I have a foundation. So in that sense, it was disrespectful that someone would ask that question. But more than that, you would never hear a female get asked, ‘How many times would you have sex with Alex Pereira?’ We don’t sexualize men like that. So it was disheartening.”
In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in negative interactions between UFC athletes and fans. Earlier this year, UFC commentator Jon Anik hinted at the possibility of being driven away from the sport due to the toxic behavior of some fans (although he later clarified his stance). In contrast, Harrison is determined to play a role in fostering a more positive and supportive culture for future fighters.
“At first I was super embarrassed and shocked by it, but then I was like, f*** it, I’m just going to keep being me, and I’m going to say something about it when the time is right, because I feel like that’s wrong. I want to help change the landscape of the sport. Not just for me, but for future female fighters. And it was on International Women’s Day, to boot! It was frustrating.”
“It’s just a different beast. And I think too, I’m realizing this is a different beast. This is the big show, and fans love you or hate you, but you’re going to get a lot more eyes in this space.”
