Kayla Harrison hits back at money-chasing Ronda Rousey: ‘I’ve beaten everything she’s ever done’

“The part that bothers me the most about Ronda is at one point, she was a real athlete,” Kayla said. “She was training for the Olympics. She’s an Olympic bronze medalist. She became UFC champion. She was really trying to chase greatness, and I will never take away the fact that Ronda is probably the most important female fighter. If it weren’t for her, for sure, I wouldn’t be where I’m at. I wouldn’t have a job.”

“But this fight is not the greatest fight of all time,” she continued. “It’s between someone who hasn’t fought in ten years and is coming off two knockout losses, and another woman who is — again, another legend, another pioneer — but hasn’t fought in seventeen years and is in her forties. So don’t call it the greatest fight of all time. I’m chasing greatness. You’re chasing money. We’re different.”

It’s too bad we’ll probably never get to see Ronda Rousey and Kayla Harrison fight. Not only does Rousey seem intent on burning bridges with the UFC and parent company TKO, she’s said it’s over after May 16th unless a rematch with Carano is needed for some reason. She’s adamant that she’ll retire and go have more kids.

As for Kayla Harrison, her days of competition may be numbered as well. Following emergency neck surgery, she’s sounded a lot less interested in continuing to risk her health to compete. She went so far as to say she’ll walk away from the bantamweight belt after the Nunes fight. If there’s no featherweight option to compete in, that’ll be a wrap.

There’s clearly gonna be a lot of debate over who is the better MMA fighter: Harrison or Rousey. It seems crazy that we won’t get to see them settle that debate in the cage.