Kayla Harrison is an American professional mixed martial artist and former Olympic and world champion judoka. She is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL). She won the 2010 World Judo Championships, gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and gold at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games. She moved into mixed martial arts after the 2016 Olympics. She is currently fighting in the lightweight division. As a TV personality, she has been a guest in episode 24 of season 6, and in episode 4 of season 7, of the television show Impractical Jokers. She also appeared on an episode of Flea Market Flip with her grandmother.  

What is Kayla Harrison famous for?

• Kayla Harrison is famous as the USA's first Olympic gold medalist judoka and a popular MMA fighter.
• Kayla is the winner of the 2019 PFL women's lightweight championship.
  

Source; @mmafighting.com

Where is Kayla Harrison From?

Kayla Harrison was born on July 2, 1990, in Middletown, Ohio, the U.S. Her birth name is Kayla Jean Harrison. Her nationality is American. Her ethnicity isWhite with Cancer as her zodiac sign. Harrison was born to Kenny Harrison (father) and Jeannie Yazell (mother). Her mother was also a black-belt judoka. Kayla started to play judo at the age of 6, as she was introduced to the sport by her mother. She graduated from Middletown High School in Ohio. She then began training under coach Daniel Doyle, and by the age of 15, she had two national championships titles. However, during the time, Harrison was sexually abused by her coach, Daniel for which he was sentenced for a ten-year prison term. 

After a month, she moved away to Boston to train with Jimmy Pedro and his father. She graduated from Middletown High School (Ohio).

In 2020, Kayla Harrison acquired full custody of her niece Kyla and nephew Emery, after her stepfather – who had custody of the children at the time – died suddenly.

Source: @news.uams.edu

Kayla Harrison’s Career: Judo and MMA Fighter?

• Kayla Harrison remained focused and changed her weight classes from 63-78 kg division but she couldn't compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
• She won the "Junior World Championship" in 2008 and became the first American to compete in two Junior World Championships finals.
• She won a gold medal at the "World Judo Championships" in 2010, the first American ever to do so since 1999.
• She then won the Olympic title in 2012, becoming the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo.
• She won her second title at Olympics again in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
• She was promoted to the Roku dan(6th Degree Black Belt) by USJA, the youngest person in the US to ever be awarded this rank.
• Harrison signed with "World Series of Fighting" in 2016.
• She made her MMA debut at PFL 2 on June 21, 2018, against Brittney Elkin in the Women's Lightweight division.
• She was the main card for PFL 11 in 2018.
• She faced and won the fight against Morgan Frier in the co-main event of PFL 4 on July 11, 2019.
• Harrison also appeared as a guest in several episodes of the television show "Impractical Jokers" and also in "Flea Market Flip" along with her grandmother.
• Kayla received the "2012 Women's Sports Foundation's Wilma Rudolph Courage Award".
• She was named one of "Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year"(2012), and placed first in Boston Globe Magazine's 2012 "Athletes of the Year".
• Next, Kayla signed a new long-term contract extension with the PFL. She then next faced Bobbi Jo Dalziel and she won the fight by an armbar in the first round. 
• After that, she faced Larissa Pacheco in a rematch for the Women's Lightweight final at PFL 10 on December 31, 2019. Harrison won the fight by unanimous decision to win the 2019 Women's Lightweight Championship.
• On 6th May 2021, she faced Mariana Morais at PFL 3 for the start of the 2021 season. She won the bout via TKO in the first round.
• Then, she faced Cindy Dandois on June 25, 2021, at PFL 6. She won the bout in the first round via an arm bar submission.
• Similarly, she faced Genah Fabian in the Semifinals of the Women's Lightweight tournament on August 19, 2021, at PFL 8 which she won via TKO in the first round. 
• She won against Taylor Guardado in the Finals of the Women's Lightweight tournament on October 27, 2021, at PFL 10. 
• She faced Marina Mokhnatkina on May 6, 2022, at PFL 3 where she won the bout via unanimous decision. 
• Kayla then faced Martina Jindrová in the Semifinals of the Women's Lightweight tournament on August 20, 2022, at PFL 9. She won the bout in the first round via arm-triangle choke. 
• She then faced Larissa Pacheco for a third time in the finals of the Women's Lightweight tournament on November 25, 2022, at PFL 10. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. 
• Regarding her MMA record, she has won 15 matches and lost 1 matches out of 16 matches. 
  

Source: @mmanytt.com

Who is Kayla Harrison’s Boyfriend?

Kayla Harrison is an unmarried woman and as of now, she is seeing a fellow American Top Team fighter and a former UFC fighter Anthony Martin. The two have been dating since 2019. Anthony Martin is an American professional mixed martial artist who is considered by many as a true veteran in the UFC. The duo is enjoying their life a lot. Her sexual orientation is straight. 

Previously, Harrison was actually close to getting married to Aaron Hardy. Hardy is a black belt in Judo and is a firefighter by profession. The couple got engaged back in 2012 as per reports but things shortly fell apart for the two and both of them decided to call it quits. 

She also runs a charity organization of her own by the name of Fearless Foundation that is aimed to save children from sexual abuse and enrich their lives by helping them grow in various sports.

How much is Kayla Harrison’s Net Worth?

The gold medalist, Kayla Harrison is one of the richest women MMA fighters. Harrison has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million as of 2022. She is considered by many as the greatest women's MMA fighter of all time outside of UFC. She makes her money through her matches. She has amassed solely a large amount of money through her judo matches. She defeated Larissa Pacheco in the final of the 2019 PFL Women’s Lightweight championship fight along with a prize of $1 Million. She is making her annual salary between $500K - $1 Million annually. She is the face of PFL, and she is sponsored by Hatashita Sports and Fuji Sports. Harrison also sells her personal apparel like T-shirts, Headbands, and sportswear. She is endorsed by Celsius Energy Drink. 

Source: @forbes.com

How tall is Kayla Harrison?

Kayla Harrison has a well-maintained athletic body figure. She stands tall with a height of 5 feet 8 inches (1.73m). She has a body weight of 70 kg. She has a fair complexion with blonde hair and brown eyes. She has got a healthy body right now. Her highest reach is 66 in or 1.68 cm.