KAYLA HARRISON, who was couchbound after the Olympic cycle ended, had $25,000 left to her name. However, she is the "highest-paid female fighter" in the world.
In 2012, the American won her first judo medal in London. She doubled her total four years later in Rio.
Kayla Harrison is an Olympic Judo Champion
Harrison, then 26 years old, was given a "pat on the back" and a $25,000 cheque. However, Harrison left the room questioning her motives.
SunSport spoke to her: "It wasn’t about the money, or like, 'You’re not going give me a job.'
"It was more of, that was my true and only love, so to be discarded as such was difficult for me.
"To go from not hitting the snooze and being super focused, super focused, super motivated, and then sitting on my sofa all day, was something I had never set out to do.
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"I was sad because I didn't have anything to wake me up for, and it made me feel depressed. It was almost like Kayla Harrison, the Olympic gold medalist, had told me that I wasn't.
Harrison was able to get up off the couch and walk to a Muay Thai class after six months.
Six months after being hit in the face in her first sparring session, she finally found her next step in life.
Harrison said: "I was like, ‘Holy s ***!. It's it. This is what I have to do.
SIGN UP DEALS AND FREE BETS - THE BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERINGS"It was thrilling to feel like a white belt, to be a beginner again.
"To feel that fear, that adrenaline and to face that challenge again. "I was like, this has to be done."
Harrison joined the Professional Fighters League in 2018 and became a professional fighter in MMA.
The PFL format consists of two fights in a regular season. Points are awarded for methods of victory.
The play-off semifinal qualifies the two remaining fighters for the winner-takes-all final.
A $1million prize check is up for grabs. Harrison has won it twice and will be returning this season to claim another.
She stated, "I am the highest-paid female fighter in all of the world right now. It's hard to believe, and I have to shout it out sometimes.
"I was 16 years old and was working 16 hours per week in a hardware store. I also walked dogs.
"To see the course of my life, the highs and the lows, and to see where it is now, I feel truly blessed to do what and with the people I love.
Harrison, 31 years old, won her first regular season bout in May against Marina Mokhnatkina. She now faces Kaitlin young on Friday night.
Atlanta victory will make her eligible to fight in the knockout final four stages.
Harrison would be able to go back to London with the semis scheduled for August 20 at Copper Box.
She will compete in the UK for the first time in a decade, marking exactly ten year since she won her first Olympic medal.
Harrison stated that he won his first Olympic gold medal in 2012 on August 2, so it would be poetic to fight here ten years later.
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It would be wonderful, I love the energy of the UK, the vibes.
"It's the country of fighters. They say Vegas is the capital of fights, but history shows that it is not."
