Wednesday’s edition of Nightcap with Chad Johnson and Shannon Sharpe took a tumultuous turn when James Harrison joined the show to discuss his upcoming MMA fight against his former AFC North rival. The two, who have a history of competitive battles in the NFL, are set to clash in an exhibition match coinciding with Super Bowl LIX.
It’s 5 rounds @ochocinco 🙄 https://t.co/2X8MKfhk9a
— James Harrison (@jharrison9292) October 2, 2024
Since the fight was agreed upon last October, details have been scarce. During his live appearance on Nightcap at Radio Row leading up to Super Bowl LIX, Harrison explained his lack of updates—he’s been recovering from a full meniscus repair in one knee, which he humorously noted led him to “get fat.” “I’m not gonna lie to you, this is what happened,” Harrison admitted. “I got fat. I was like 308. My knee was messed up. I was there, six weeks, couldn’t move. So I was just sitting there eating.” He continued, “I knew I was real fat because I went to tie my shoe and my stomach got in the way. I had to move my leg to the side to get down there.”
As the show progressed, the topic shifted to how their canceled fight might play out. Both men became animated while sharing their strategies for defeating one another. “It ain’t about no money. Pay me right now and I’ll beat the breaks off his ass,” Harrison declared. “Who?” replied Johnson. “You,” Harrison shot back, to which Johnson countered, “You are talking about breaks. This ain’t no car.” Sensing escalating tensions, Shannon Sharpe tried to persuade them to hold off until they could secure sponsorships and advertising. “What we’re gonna do is get advertising and sponsors,” he stated. Nevertheless, Harrison and Johnson continued their back-and-forth for nearly five more minutes about who would triumph in a potential MMA match.
“He ain’t conditioned like I am,” Johnson later remarked. “He’s gonna be tired in two seconds. He’s gonna try and throw a punch… Stop saying he is gonna grab me. Don’t say that before I hit you in your mouth. Don’t say that no more. Because y’all disrespecting me. I don’t like that. People look at size and determine wins and losses based off size. You saw David and Goliath, right? You remember that story?”
“Neither one of us are David and Goliath,” Harrison replied. “This ain’t no joke,” Johnson added. “Y’all take my life for a joke. On my kids, I’m gonna f*** you up. I put that on my kids. You know I don’t play about my kids. I got 200 of them. I’m gonna show you in the octagon I’m good.
“Listen man, I accept my lord and savior,” Harrison added. “This past year I was baptized. What you about to make me do is go totally outside of what I said I was going to do. Ever since I got fined by Roger Goodell for $75,000, I’ve been wanting to kill somebody. I think you might be the person I do it to.”
Ocho & James Harrison were going at it on set 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣@ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @jharrison9292 @ShayShayMedia_ pic.twitter.com/qOmwOT7HTe
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) February 5, 2025
Throughout Harrison’s appearance, moments of laughter were punctured by the noticeable seriousness in their voices, highlighting how quickly the atmosphere shifted. While it’s uncertain when exactly the fight will take place, based on Wednesday’s Nightcap, it appears that a reschedule is on the horizon.
