Holly Holm confident Kayla Harrison will make weight: ‘She’s a professional’

Holly Holm confident Kayla Harrison will make weight: ‘She’s a professional’

Former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm didn’t expect to be facing Kayla Harrison in her next fight, but that’s the name UFC matchmakers brought her.  

The two will clash on the historic UFC 300 fight card on April 13 and it’s a fight that makes Holm excited.  

“I’m always open to anything and when they called they said it was Kayla Harrison.  And they announced it that day, so it was definitely like new news for me and I’m definitely excited about it.  This is a fight that I’m excited.  I’m excited for this fight, really excited for this fight,” Holm told The MMA Hour. 

While Harrison will be making her promotional debut, she’ll also be fighting for the first time as a bantamweight.  Some have questioned whether she can make weight, but Holm isn’t worried about that.  

“I don’t know what she walks around at, how much watch she drops.  I don’t know all those details, but for me if someone was to tell me I had to go to 125, I can’t make 125,” said Holm.  “You think about that and that is a concern but I feel like she’s a professional and she’s not just been in MMA but obviously other professional sports and her judo and everything.  I give that confidence in her that she’s going to make weight.”

“I don’t really know her history.  I don’t think she’s missed weight,” Hold continued.  “As long as it’s not one of those things where, oh I’ll get close enough and hopefully still get the fight.  Nothing like that.  Be professional about it and make weight and let’s rock n’ roll.”

Related: Miesha Tate skeptical about Kayla Harrison at bantamweight

“I’m on the stance that you need to make weight.  That’s just how it is, and I think her mindset should be on I’m going to make weight because she took the fight at 135.  I think it’s simple.  It shouldn’t be super detailed.  You think about the fight, Wonderboy (Stephen Thompson).  His opponent came in three pounds over and people were like ‘it’s only three pounds,’ and he’s like, ‘yeah, if it’s only three pounds then go and lose the three pounds.  There’s two ways to look at it, so oh it’s only this, or well it’s only that.  You can look at it from a lot of different angles.  As a professional, you’ve got to make weight.  I work hard to make my weight, so I expect the same.”