NEW YORK – Kayla Harrison is just thankful to be the best. She's not sure where she stands in the all-time rankings or how things might change in the future. But as she sat at the podium Saturday after UFC 334, she felt at peace with her place right then and there.
"I don't really care what people say; I'm happy, I'm satisfied," Harrison told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. "I believe that Amanda (Nunes) is the greatest – was – the greatest female fighter. I think that that's me tonight. It's not going to be like that forever.
"I saw a video of Amanda's daughter Raegan talking about, 'You're going to take her and elbow her and knee her.' I would love for Raegan to come stand on our shoulders and have beat all of my
accolades and be the greatest of all time someday. It's not about me being the greatest forever. It's just for right now. It's for me and I'm satisfied with it. If you don't agree, that's OK. I still love you."
Harrison (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) defeated Nunes (23-6 MMA, 16-3 UFC) by third-round rear-naked choke submission in the women's bantamweight title fight that served as the co-main event at Madison Square Garden. It was pedestaled as one of the most high-profile women's fights in MMA history and to walk away from that the victor is pretty special for Harrison.
The victory was made even sweeter by the adversity she went through to get back to the cage. Harrison had neck surgery and had to withdraw from the first scheduled meeting with Nunes due to complications. It took her a little while to get mentally adjusted inside the cage after her absence, but she ultimately found what she was looking for.
"I am always pretty hard on myself and I'll have to go back and watch the fight," Harrison said. "But for sure I think that having a year-and-a-half off for me was tough. I had a really big adrenaline dump after the first round. She hit me and then I kind of took a bad shot, got in a bad spot, and I had to remind myself that 25 minutes is a long time, 'Chill out, chill out, chill out.' But for sure when she grappled with me, I was very grateful. She did a really good job of hip control, which I've spent the last 10 years training MMA trying to get to underhooks, underhooks, underhooks. Sometimes, you just have to go back to the roots and do some judo throws. It's not always the best because it's easy for them to get your back. But ultimately, it worked tonight so I'm grateful."
Harrison, 36, has not kept it a secret. She's unsure how much time she has left competing in MMA. In fact, her competitive career might be over. She hasn't made a decision quite yet on that and expects to regroup mentally and physically before making a decision. However, she admits there are potential matchups that still interest her.
"(Nunes rematch at) 145," Harrison said. "I've got to go get that other belt. ... I don't want to speak quickly, the have to not be a woman of my word. I'm going to go back. I'm going to talk to my team. I'm going to take some time and be with my kids. I get to have the holidays with my kids and actually eat and not be sweaty or hungry or grumpy. Then, we'll see what happens. ... If Ronda (Rousey) wants to come get some, it would be fun. Free money."
Rousey (13-2) returned to competition for the first time in a decade in May when she defeated Gina Carano in 17 seconds for MVP MMA. Rousey has indicated she has no interest in fighting again – however, she said the same thing many years ago when she walked away from her UFC career.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kayla Harrison says future uncertain, but Amanda Nunes rematch or 'easy money' Ronda Rousey appealing
