Two-time olympic medalist Kayla Harrison has gained a newfound respect for UFC light heavyweight fighter Alex Pereira after watching him train in Judo.
The two fighters shared a fight card at the UFC 300, where they both scored big wins. Harrison submitted former champion Holly Holm in the second round, while Pereira defended his title against Jamahal Hill. After their victory, the two shared a moment backstage, during which Harrison awarded Pereira a yellow belt.
Harrison had this to say in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
“A yellow belt is a joke, obviously,” Harrison said. “You don’t normally give adults yellow belts, so that was part of it. … And to be fair to him, he was showing me the videos of him training, and he was kicking [ass]. I wish that he would release this one, oh my God — he did the move I taught him, and then he did the move you do if the move doesn’t work. I was like, ‘Dude, you look like a judoka!’ It’s crazy how fast he picks stuff up. He looked like a legit judo [player]. He foot-swept the shit out of this kid, like slipping on a banana peel.
“So I gave him a yellow belt as a joke.”
Harrison has much respect for the champ, who is making his way into the UFC Hall of Fame. Pereira started his career at GLORY Champion, where he competed in kickboxing. After winning multiple titles, the fighter was soon awarded Fighter of the Year in 2022. He soon switched to UFC and held the title in every MMA division he had competed in.
“He’s literally living his best life, isn’t he?” Harrison said. “He doesn’t speak English, but his character comes across. I think that’s what makes a superstar special: You can feel their aura and their character. I don’t even know if you call it charisma, but that thing. He has charisma.”
“I’m just happy for him. When you hear his story and when you hear — he probably doesn’t talk about it a lot but he was an alcoholic and he started competing. Dude, that’s badass. I just love to see it.”
