"Hold on brother, I'm crying" - Fans react as Kayla Harrison opens up about "becoming a parent over night" for her sister's children

Kayla Harrison recently shared the story of how she became a parent overnight, which sparked reactions from fight fans.

Harrison's sister battled addiction, which led their mother to take custody of her niece and nephew. However, when their mother began experiencing health issues, the former PFL champion took it upon herself to raise her niece and nephew.

In the UFC 316 Countdown episode, the two-time Olympic gold medalist shared her story, saying:

"A bittersweet story, my sister has struggled with addiction for most of her adult life, and so my mother had custody of my niece and nephew. In 2019, my mom suffered a stroke; she was recovering with a six-month-old and a five-year-old, so I flew up, packed up the kids, and said that I would take them for a while. We drove down here to Florida, and becoming a parent overnight is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and it's also the hardest thing I have ever done—the scariest thing I've ever done by far."

Check out Kayla Harrison's comments below (via @Home_of_Fight on X):

Several fight fans and netizens went to the comments section of @Home_of_Fight's post on X to share their reactions, with one user writing:

"Hold on brother, I'm crying"

Others commented:

"Kayla Harrison is a class act. There’s not many fighters that I have a great admiration for, but she’s certainly one of them."

"I didn't want Pena to win before watching this but now I definitely want to see Kayla win."

"This is a champion mindset!"

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fans' reaction to Kayla Harrison opening up on becoming a parent. [Screenshots courtesy: @Home_of_Fight on X]

---

Julianna Peña previews upcoming fight against Kayla Harrison

Since her debut in the UFC, Kayla Harrison has fought twice and won both matches. She is now scheduled to face Julianna Peña for the women's bantamweight title at UFC 316 on June 7.

In the aforementioned UFC 316 Countdown episode, Peña previewed her matchup against Harrison, saying:

"Kayla is still unproven. She's fighting fighters that I don't believe possess as much of a threat like I do. And she is going to submit to my will. She is going to say, 'I want out.' And she's going to realize that she didn't want it as much as she thought she did."

Check out Julianna Peña's comments below (15:35):