Kayla Harrison took to social media to respond to an expletive-laden tirade Ronda Rousey directed at the UFC champion.
Rousey is to take on fellow women's MMA pioneer Gina Carano next month in the main event of MVP 1 - the first mixed martial arts event to be broadcast live on Netflix.
The bout marks Rousey's first fight in nearly a decade after she stepped away from combat sports in 2016 following back-to-back stoppage losses.
While Rousey and Carano have been cordial in the lead-up to their blockbuster showdown, the same cannot be said for Rousey's comments about her former employers at the UFC, and particularly the current women's bantamweight queen Kayla Harrison.
During a press conference for Rousey's clash with Carano she took aim at Harrison, calling the 35-year-old "irrelevant".
“Kayla is so irrelevant that she couldn’t even keep the 145-pound division around," Rousey said.
"Honestly, she’s just sour because no matter what she does or accomplishes, she has the charisma of a wet towel and will always be in mine and Gina’s shadows.
- Ronda Rousey on UFC women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison
"The next time she wants to talk s***, she wants to look down at her feet and consider who paved the path she is walking on. Oh, wait, she can’t look down at her feet because she’s too busy holding onto her belt with a neck brace."
She continued: “Her and Hunter [Campbell, Chief Business Officer of the UFC] were trying to act like her next fight is the biggest women’s fight of all time. Then why is it being booked as the co-main for a men’s interim title fight?"
Harrison had been scheduled to take on former champion Amanda Nunes - who defeated Rousey in her final UFC outing in December 2016 - in the co-main event of the promotion's debut on Paramount+ in January.
However, an injury forced Harrison to withdraw just ten days before the fight was set to place and the bout is set to be rescheduled for later this year.
In the wake of Rousey's outburst, Harrison took to social media and challenged Rousey to meet her inside the Octagon.
"FIGHT ME DEN," Harrison wrote on X.
"Good morning @Amanda_Leoa! I can’t wait for us to have the greatest fight of all time and take women’s mma to a whole new level! The best vs. the goat!"
Harrison and Rousey have a long history together, dating back to their emergence as two of the most talented female judokas to emerge from the USA.
Before either had strapped up a pair of gloves for the first time they locked horns at the 2005 US Judo Championships, with the 17-year-old Rousey getting the win after a back-and-forth battle.
Rousey would go on to claim bronze at the 2008 Olympics before transitioning into MMA, while Harrison remained in Judo - winning back-to-back Olympic golds in 2012 and 2016.
