Kayla Harrison‘s sittin’ atop the MMA world … and the newly topped ladies’s bantamweight champ is speaking all issues UFC 316 and past — from her insane weight lower to her subsequent battle vs. Amanda Nunes!

34-year-old Harrison joined Babcock on the “TMZ Sports activities” TV present (airs nightly on FS1) … simply days after she dominated now-former champ Julianna Pena within the co-main occasion, profitable by second-round submission.

We requested her — with a few days to digest the big accomplishment — how she was feelin’?

“It nonetheless feels very surreal. Like, in simply the truth that it is one thing I’ve wished for therefore lengthy and yeah, realizing a dream, it feels loopy,” Kayla stated of reaching the mountaintop.

On the identical time, the bantamweight strap does not straighten up the home, or feed the children … that means the champ is already again on mommy obligation. In reality, Kayla instructed us she was within the “center of doing laundry” once we spoke.

And whereas chores aren’t anybody’s thought of a good time, her little ones are most vital to Kayla.

“I am so blessed to have [Emery and Kyla]. I feel typically about they’re the actual prize. If I had been coming dwelling with a UFC belt to an empty home, the considered that makes me wish to cry. Like I can not even think about my life with out them. And so, yeah, they’re the prize.”

As for the precise battle, Harrison made gentle work of Pena … which is tremendous spectacular contemplating how harmful Julianna is inside an Octagon.

“I understand how robust Juliana is. This lady beat Amanda. I anticipated 25 onerous minutes. I actually mentally ready for that,” Harrison instructed us, saying her early success within the battle “felt too good to be true.”

“Even within the first spherical, I felt like I had alternatives to unleash, however I type of instructed myself, ‘pay attention, 25 minutes is a very long time. Let’s tempo ourselves. Let’s be good.’ What if she comes out weapons blazing and what if there’s one thing lacking right here?” Kayla stated of her mindset Saturday evening.

Then, within the second spherical, the champ says she “type of misplaced monitor of time” earlier than she heard the sign indicating 10 seconds remained … “and I used to be like, ‘f*** it.’”

And, identical to that … Kimura, faucet, and new!

The toughest a part of the entire battle week was the load lower … the primary time Kayla needed to get all the way down to 135 (she beforehand needed to clear 136, and that pound makes a helluva distinction).

“I feel it is simply belief and give up and also you gotta have religion as a result of it would make folks uncomfortable, however there may be simply no means in hell that I can do it on my own. I’m not mentally sturdy sufficient. My thoughts wished to stop. And my physique was fairly shut. That was all God. That was all God.”

Now, Harrison (after per week of “enjoyable with the children”), will shift her focus to Nunes … in what’s going to finally be the largest battle within the historical past of girls’s MMA.

“I truly cannot wait to be again within the gymnasium. I’ve no accidents. I really feel good. I feel Amanda has to get again into the drug testing pool. After which I need her to be ‘The Lioness.’ I wish to face the most effective Amanda Nunes ever. So, the balls in her court docket!”