Kayla Harrison seeks domination vs. Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307.
Harrison (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will look to cement herself as No. 1 contender when she takes on Vieira (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.
Vieira has won three of her past four, with her lone loss in that stretch coming to current bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington. Harrison gave Vieira credit for her skills, but thinks she’s no match for her.
“She’s a good fighter, she’s well-rounded, she’s got good jiu-jitsu,” Harrison told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m expecting some judo knowledge from her just because of her background in judo, as well. We won’t know until fight night. Everyone’s tough until you beat them, but I just think I’m better everywhere and I’ve properly prepared, and it’s going to be a long night for Ketlen.”
On the same night Harrison faces Vieira, Pennington (16-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC) defends her belt against Julianna Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the co-main event. Harrison will be ready to jump in if any of the fighters fall out, but she’ll have to hit 135 pounds on the dot in order to be eligible.
Harrison weighed in at 136 pounds prior to her dominant finish of Holly Holm at UFC 300, and admits that final pound to shed off will definitely be a challenge.
“That last pound is God, not Kayla,” Harrison said. “That’s not anything a human can do, that’s definitely a higher power that’s getting me to that point, and that’s again where faith, and trust, and surrender play a big role in me being able to chase this dream and to do what I love.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kayla Harrison: ‘It’s going to be a long night’ for Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307