Kayla Harrison can win gold in Rio. Will she follow Ronda Rousey’s path to MMA next?

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Kayla Harrison wants to add another Olympic gold medal to her resume in Rio de Janeiro, but there could be more gold in her future in the world of mixed martial arts.

Harrison, the biggest star of the United States' judo team in Brazil, has mentioned for awhile that she was considering competing in mixed martial arts after the 2016 Olympic Games. She told SB Nation in Rio de Janeiro that the final decision will be made after the competition.

"Obviously, MMA is something that I’m considering," Harrison said. "It could potentially be a very lucrative career for me, but at this point, my focus is just on the tournament on August 11. Then, maybe a beach somewhere here in Rio for a couple of days, and then I’ll make some big decisions. But I know I’m very fortunate. I have a good team around me -- my coaches, my manager, my agent. They’ll have my best interest in heart, so I trust them, and they’re gonna advise me in the right direction, and we’ll see what happens."

Even though her final decision if she will compete in MMA has yet to be made, several MMA promotions have already offered deals. A former training partner of UFC superstar Ronda Rousey in judo, Harrison and her team think they are worth way more than they were initially offered.

"Several contracts have been sent to my agent," she said with a laugh. "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. But, again, we’re not making any decisions right now. We have had offers, we had contracts sent, but I think once the Olympics are over, and everything sorts of settles down, I can decide whether or not I like to punch people in the face."

Harrison started training in boxing after the 2012 Olympics in London, thanks to a knee injury. She enjoyed it, especially since it’s completely different from what she has been doing for the past decade.

"After the Olympics, I had to have knee surgery, and when I had my knee surgery, I couldn’t use my legs so I went to boxing, and I learned how to box," the judoka said. "And I really liked it. I enjoyed it. For me, it was fun because it was something I’ve never done before. And I was pretty good at it. And it was completely different from judo. Like, every day in judo practice I do the same things over and over and over again, and I’ve been doing them for 10 years. My whole life, this is what I’ve done. I have mastered the art of basics. I have no pretty judo, I have no flashy judo, but I’m really, really good at the basics. So, the fact that boxing was so different and unique, and something that I’ve never done before, but was still really hard for me and pushing me, was fun."

And speaking of Rousey, Harrison’s decision to jump to a different sport also may have a lot to do with Rousey and the success she’s had in the UFC. Rousey jumped from judo to professional MMA in 2011, scoring four first-round armbars before winning the Strikeforce bantamweight championship. Two wins later (again, both by first-round armbar), Rousey was crowned the first female champion in the UFC.

"I used to train with Ronda Rousey, and 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 laughed. "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? I think everybody does, and, at the end of the day, I’m a fighter. I love to fight. I love judo because it’s a battle of wills, and what is a bigger battle of wills than stepping in a cage with someone and forcing them to your will? Bending them to your will?

"So that part of it intrigues me, and excites me, but on the other hand, do I really wanna start it all over with my athletic career at 26? Do I really want to get in a cage and try to hurt someone? You know, judo is meant to keep people safe from harm's way, but MMA is kind of like… there are some rules, but not many. So, we’ll see."

Rousey had a meteoric rise in MMA, but hasn’t competed since losing her UFC belt to former boxing world champion Holly Holm last November. Harrison was shocked to see Rousey being dominated and finished in Australia.

"I was shocked. I was really, really surprised," Harrison said. "I’ve trained with Ronda and I know how tough she is. I truly believed that there was no one in MMA that could beat her, but I think that a lot of things happened. I think that she had not such a good training camp, she had a lot of big distractions. She let that fame and richness that I talked to you about maybe distract her a little bit, but I was shocked."