Holly Holm: ‘I work hard to make my weight, so I expect the same’ from Kayla Harrison at UFC 300

Can Kayla Harrison make 135 kilos? That’s one of many massive questions surrounding the fights presently lined up for UFC 300 on April 13, 2024.

Harrison, 33, will make her shock debut within the Octagon after a prolonged run in Skilled Fighters League (PFL). Welcoming the previous two-time Light-weight champion to the promotion shall be none aside from former UFC Bantamweight queenpin, Holly Holm.

A consummate skilled and multi-sport champion like Harrison, Holm has by no means struggled with weight or outside-the-cage points. Nonetheless, combating at 135 kilos shall be a primary for Harrison as all however two of her 17 profession bouts (16-1) have taken place at 155 kilos with the opposite two at 145 and 150.

“Any person may be depleted, however anyone may be sooner in the event that they’re not carrying round further weight, too,” Holm mentioned on The MMA Hour. “So I assume we’ll simply see what occurs after we get in there and we get to the battle. I don’t actually know her historical past, I don’t assume she’s ever missed weight. So I feel she may be skilled about it. So long as it’s not a kind of issues the place it’s like, ‘I’ll get shut sufficient after which hopefully nonetheless get the battle,’ nothing like that. Be skilled about it and make weight and we’re able to rock and roll.

“I’m on the stance that it’s worthwhile to make weight, that’s simply how it’s,” she continued. “I feel that her mindset must be on, ‘I’m going to make weight,’ as a result of she took the battle at 135. So I feel it’s easy. I don’t assume it must be tremendous detailed.”

Thankfully for Holm, she’s by no means had an opponent miss weight in any of her 22 fights (15-6, 1 no contest) whether or not at Bantamweight or Featherweight. For comparability’s sake, Holm introduced up Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson’s current decline of his match up with Michel Pereira at UFC 291 in July 2023.

“You consider the battle with ‘Wonderboy,’ his opponent got here in three kilos over and other people have been like, ‘Oh, it’s solely three kilos.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, if it’s solely three kilos, then go lose the three kilos.’ You understand what I imply?” Holm mentioned. “There’s two methods to take a look at it. It’s solely this or it’s solely that. You’ll be able to take a look at it from a whole lot of completely different angles, however as an expert, learn the way to make weight. I work laborious to make my weight, so I count on the identical.”