Kayla Harrison quiets MMA rumors after winning 2nd straight gold medal

Kayla Harrison is putting a choke hold on any MMA talk.

Following a pair of monumental Olympic runs that saw her become the first American to win a gold medal in judo in 2012, and now the first to win back-to-back golds in 2016, Harrison barely had time to catch her breath when the questions came about what she was planning to do next.

Specifically, speculation concerned whether she would make an oft-discussed jump to MMA to join former training partner Ronda Rousey. Speaking to the media on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro after the 78kg final in which she defeated France's Audrey Tcheumeo, Harrison was noncommittal on whether she'd be fighting in a cage anytime soon.

"I know you all wanna know if I'm gonna do MMA or not," Harrison said, according to James Brady and Guilherme Cruz of SBNation.com. "But tonight I'm just gonna live in the moment, be an Olympic champion, and tomorrow I'll decide what my future holds. Maybe a month from now."

Cruz later posted a tweet that contained a more definitive response from Harrison: "Never say never, but right now the answer is 'no' to MMA."

The 26-year-old Harrison has the makings of a can't-miss prospect, especially since she added boxing to her arsenal after the 2012 Olympics while she was recovering from a knee injury. In a June 5 interview with Cruz, Harrison confirmed that her representation was in discussions with various organizations inquiring on her MMA future.

"Several contracts have been sent to my agent," Harrison said. "He’s looked at it, and he's said 'no' to all of them. He said there's not enough money. And I trust him."

As it is, her connection to Rousey, her love of competition, and the potential paydays might still tilt her back towards a professional fighting career after she's had time to rest and weigh her options.

"I guess I always had a little bit of a Ronda complex, you could say. Anything she does, I wanna do - and I wanna do it better," Harrison said. "You know, I always tried to be the best at whatever it is I do, and at some point in your life I think everyone has that goal of being rich, being famous, and being a superstar. Who doesn't want that?"