"Scariest thing I've ever done" - UFC’s Kayla Harrison steps up for family as sister fights addiction

Former PFL champion Kayla Harrison will face Julianna Pena for the women's bantamweight championship in the co-main event of UFC 316. Harrison recently opened up about stepping into the role of a parent for her niece and nephew amid her sister's addiction issues.

Speaking on the UFC countdown show, she said:

"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."

She added:

"I think I am most proud of our family in that we are breaking generational cycles; we are healing each other. They know that this is home; they know that this is safe. I spent a great time praying for days like this, so I try and operate from a place of gratitude and finding from a place of love and joy, which made me a hundred times the fighter that I was."

Check out Kayla Harrison's comments below:

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Kayla Harrison opens up about Amanda Nunes fight hopes after upcoming title bout with Julianna Peña

Although, Kayla Harrison is facing Julianna Pena next, the fight she’s really looking forward to is a potential clash with UFC legend Amanda Nunes.

In a chat with Mike Bohn on episode 28 of The Bohnfire, Harrison talked about her career goals. She shared that her dream matchup is against Nunes, who is widely seen as the greatest female fighter in MMA history. She said:

"I have to go whoop on Julianna, but that was always the fight I wanted. I never meant it in a disrespectful manner. I never meant it like, 'I'm better than you.' I just think that she is the greatest of all time. To me, that's a very clear distinction of where she has put herself, and I didn't come to the sport to be the second greatest. May we share the cage with respect and dignity, and may the best woman win."

She added:

"We didn't really train live a whole lot. It was a lot of drilling and situational stuff from what I recall. So I wasn't going 100%. She got 40% of me too, but I was at the gym every day. When she wanted to train, I made myself available."

Check out Kayla Harrison's comments below (21:25):