My Take
Kayla Harrison is one of those rare athletes who makes you rethink what "greatness" even means. She became the first American — male or female — to win an Olympic gold medal in judo, then came back and did it again in Rio 2016, cementing her legacy before most people her age had figured out a career path. What she did next, though, is what really gets me: she walked away from the sport she'd mastered and started over in MMA, grinding through the PFL ranks until she captured that title too. And then the UFC came calling, and she answered. The fact that she's also a survivor who has spoken openly about childhood abuse and used that story to advocate for others adds a whole other dimension. She's not just a fighter — she's someone who rebuilt herself, repeatedly, on her own terms. Genuinely one of the most compelling athletes of her generation.
Overview
Kayla Jean Harrison (born July 2, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former judoka. She currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. She is the first female fighter to win an Olympic gold medal and a UFC championship.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kayla Harrison
- Name (Japanese)
- ケイラ・ハリソン
- Reading
- けいら・はりそん
- Born
- July 2, 1990 (age 35)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Horse
- Origin
- Middletown, Ohio, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- judoka / mixed martial arts fighter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Middletown High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.