Kayla Harrison Signs with WSOF
Two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison is going to give mixed martial arts a try. she confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that she signed with World Series of Fighting (WSOF) to be a commentator and brand ambassador and to eventually debut as a professional fighter. WSOF CEO Carlos Silva said that Kayla will make her debut commentating on WSOF's New Years Eve card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Silva also said that he is very excited to have Harrison on the WSOF team, backing up his excitement for her by talking her established resume, being the president of Universal Sports and being heavily involved in the Olympic movement on NBC, aside from being a two-time gold medalist, of course.
For some, Harrison signing for an MMA organization is a surprise. In her medal interview after she won gold in Rio, Harrison stated that she would not want to do MMA because the lack of respect the fighters have for their opponent, which is big in judo. However, she did say something along the lines of "No for now, but we will see." I think that it's a stroke of genius by Harrison to sign a deal that has her be commentator first, fighter later on. As a commentator, she can break down each fighter from an analytical standpoint. All the while, she is scouting her future opponents. Also, if for some reason this fighting gig doesn't work out for her (doubt it, but), Harrison can add color commentary to her resume, and can try to make a living that way if she so chooses. I am surprised she signed with WSOF though. I always thought she was going to go to MMA, but I would have assumed it would be to Bellator. Bellator already does not have enough depth, but they are emerging as a solid competitor to UFC. She would easily be Bellator's biggest female signing, and with her signing, other top female competitors would hop on. World Series of Fighting?...You don't really hear too much about any WSOF fighter. But it's a starting platform for Harrison, and within a couple fights, I'm sure she will make the leap to Bellator or UFC.
