Kayla Harrison no longer thinks that Cris Cyborg will take a match against her, and it is not just because of PFL’s plan to prioritize Larissa Pacheco first over her. According to the world champ judoka, Cyborg is “going to get real quiet real fast” now that they both are under PFL. With this, the fighter is considering a fight against Julianna Peña.
Harrison, who recently defeated Aspen Ladd at the 2023 PFL Championship, affirmed the idea when asked about a next possible huge fight. As the fighter suggested, Peña’s trash-talking nature could make the bout interesting. However, while Harrison expressed delight over this, she underscored that she is no longer a free agent to make that fight possible.
“I think that that would be a great fight,” Harrison told ESPN on the DC & RC podcast. “She’s not afraid to speak her mind. She talks a big talk. She thinks very highly of herself. I don’t know why, but she does.
“So, I think that would be a great fight, but I’m not a free agent yet. The PFL and Ali (Abdelaziz) I know are working on stuff. There is a Cyborg potential there. I’m not trying to stir the pot. I did that free agency thing two years ago. Holy sh*t, it is exhausting.”
As for Cyborg, Harrison reiterated and underscored the idea that the Bellator champ just doesn’t really have the will to face her. It can be recalled that Harrison called her out after her latest win, but Cyborg’s recent responses didn’t give her the “yes” she wanted.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Harrison said. “She only talks sh*t when we’re in different promotions and there’s somewhere to hide. Now that we’re under the same roof, I feel she’s going to get real quiet real fast.
“I don’t even want to talk about her because I feel like every time I do, it’s just like jinxing it. We’ve been talking about this fight since before I made my MMA debut. I’m 17 fights in now. So, if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen soon, but I don’t have much faith in her. Easy fight.”
