Kayla Harrison took time to spotlight single mothers in the wake of her recent UFC championship victory. Harrison became the new UFC bantamweight champion at UFC 316 with a second round submission win over a two time titleholder in the division in Julianna Pena and the newly minted champion appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show to cover several subjects after her win.
When explaining why she carved out time in her post-fight victory speech to highlight single moms when she was given the microphone for her post-fight interview on June 7th, Kayla Harrison said,
“I did know it was on my heart to speak to single moms. I have felt like mom guilt and just questioning because my life is changing right in front of my eyes right now. We went out for ice cream today and I had to stop and take pictures. It’s a privilege and an honor for me, but life is going to change for my kids and I. I have been thinking about that a lot, and thinking about single moms and how hard it is.”
“A lot of times it just feels like you’re alone and you’re suffering and you’re questioning, you wish you could be better and you want to be more present and more loving, but you’re so overwhelmed and overstimulated that you snap.”
“You want to chase your dreams but you want to be a good mom. I just wanted single moms to know that they’re not alone. We all feel like that and we all struggle with it. I do believe that it is important to live your life on fire. If God put a dream in your heart, it’s your duty to go out there and give your absolute best and chase your dreams.”
Kayla Harrison on the importance of family and faith to her
Harrison continued, “Maybe that dream just means being a mom, and that is a big dream of mine now—just to be a good steward to my children and lead them in the right ways. I was just giving glory to God because I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be the person I am, I wouldn’t be walking this earth. I have had moments where I didn’t want to live, and that still small voice inside of me kept me going.”
