Kayla Harrison

Two time Olympic gold medal winning judoka Kayla Harrison has also won two golds at the Pan American Games and the 2010 Judo Championships.

Following in her mother’s footsteps who was a black belt at judo, Harrison took up the sport aged just 6 years old. She had won two national championships by the time she was 15 years old, and in 2008 she won the Junior World Championships. In 2010 she won a gold medal at the World Judo Championships, becoming the first American to do so in over 10 years. She followed up with a gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics and in 2016 won another Olympic gold at Rio de Janeiro. In the same year Harrison became the youngest person in US sporting history to be promoted to a rokudan, or a 6th Degree Black Belt. More recently, this talented martial artist has made the move into Mixed Martial Arts, making her debut as part of the Professional Fighters League in 2018. The following year she won the 2019 Women’s Lightweight Championship, repeating the win in the 2021 Women’s Lightweight Championship.

A highly decorated and respected fighter, Harrison is one of the most well regarded judoka and mixed martial artists of her generation. She continues to put in great performances for the PFL and has made history with her highly successful athletic career.