Kayla Harrison’s weight cut could affect strength

If Kayla Harrison is too depleted after cutting down to 136 pounds, Megan Anderson expects her to struggle.

Two-time PFL lightweight champion Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her octagon debut against former UFC champ Holly Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) in a bantamweight bout at UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas.

Harrison will attempt to reach 136 pounds for the first time in her career. Despite that, the the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka opened up as a big favorite against Holm. Anderson, who was taken down four times in a unanimous decision loss to Holm in 2018, thinks Harrison could have a hard time against Holm if the weight cut takes a toll on her body.

“With those weight cuts, too, will the strength be there?” Anderson said on her YouTube channel. “She likes to use her strength, she likes to use her physical prowess in her fights, but will that still be there dropping to a weight class that she’s never dropped before?

“If she’s cutting a significant amount of weight, that increases the risk of not being able to rehydrate correctly, which then increases the risk of knockouts, of getting rocked with punches that she wouldn’t have been at a higher weight class. Holly Holm, out of every single opponent in my entire career, is physically the strongest opponent I have ever faced. She’s a f*cking specimen.”

During an Instagram live on Wednesday, UFC CEO Dana White claimed that Harrison has already made 135 pounds a couple of times in test cuts. But Anderson doesn’t only question if Harrison’s weight cut will negatively impact her, but her ability to use her striking to get to Holm.

“She has shown she’s had some issues closing the range,” Anderson said. “It’s not just going to be with the Holly fight. It’s going to be with a lot of these girls. They’ve seen the blueprint on how to beat a judoka that doesn’t know how to close the range in Ronda Rousey. … Holly may not have the power, particularly in her hands to drop somebody, but she’s a master at range. She plays a patient game.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.