As Kayla Harrison prepares for her first UFC title fight, she reflects on how American Top Team teammate Dustin Poirier — who is getting set for his final bout — has prepared her for her big moment.
Harrison challenges Julianna Pena for the women’s bantamweight title this Saturday at UFC 316. Poirier makes the walk to the octagon for the final time when he challenges Max Holloway for the BMF title in the main event of UFC 318 in July.
With Poirier’s final fight less than two months away, Harrison remembers her favorite Poirier fight, and how that moment molded her for her big opportunity this weekend.
“For me, the big fight was when he won the [interim] title off Max in Atlanta at [UFC 236 in April 2019],” Harrison told MMA Fighting. “I flew up to that fight with Dan Lambert, the owner of ATT, so I got to like hop on the jet, and we flew up. I think it might have been my first time on the jet, so I was really stoked about it, and then, yeah, I got to watch him go out there and win a belt, and I was so inspired by that.
“Just the atmosphere, the energy, the crowd, It was very nostalgic to me. I went to China in ‘08 to be [Ronda Rousey’s] training partner when she won her bronze medal in the Olympics, and I remember watching her get her medal and being like, ‘Holy shit, I trained with her, she can do this, I can do this.’
“And that was kind of the feeling I had when Dustin won, where I was like, ‘Holy shit, I train where he trains, he can do this, I can do this,’ and yeah, I’m about to go do it.”
Poirier’s interim lightweight title victory in Atlanta that night was a pivotal moment for Harrison in her fighting career as she gets set to make her third UFC appearance. The longtime PFL star submitted Holly Holm in her octagon debut at UFC 300 in April 2024, then followed it up with a decision victory against Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 this past October.
The influence of Poirier extends beyond the performances of “The Diamond.” Harrison recalls one training session at American Top Team where Harrison was questioning everything during a grueling practice. When she felt at her lowest, Poirier lifted her up.
“I mean, he’s just such an inspiring figure for me,” Harrison said. “Fighting is a solo sport, but you need training partners. You’re in a gym, you have coaches, you have a team behind you, and it can feel really, really lonely at times, but I will say that Dustin is… he’s a leader.
“I remember crying on the mat and him saying, ‘You’re right where you’re supposed to be, Kayla Harrison.’ Just simple, not like, ‘Get up,’ or ‘Come on.’ He just looked over at me, we’re both sweating, we’re both bleeding, we’re both in the grind, and he just says, ‘You’re right where you’re supposed to be, Kayla Harrison, let’s go.’ And it seems so small, but yeah, he was right. He is right.”
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