Kayla Harrison News
Report | Kayla Harrison expected to re-sign with PFL
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2022
Kayla Harrison will likely be heading back to the Professional Fighters League. According to MMA journalist, Ariel Helwani, PFL is the front-runner to sign the coveted free agent in Harrison. The deal is not done yet but the report says an agreement is all but finalized. It’s also trending in the right direction to be made official soon.
Valentina Shevchenko discusses the possibility of Kayla Harrison joining the UFC: “It will be very hard for her to find opponents”
Harry Kettle - December 23, 2021
UFC flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko has given her thoughts on Kayla Harrison potentially joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship. For the last few years we’ve seen Valentina Shevchenko dominate the flyweight division in every way, shape and form. While she’s been a strong favourite in pretty much all of her fights, she’s still managed to go out there and execute her game plan with flawless precision.
Kayla Harrison sends a warning to Julianna Pena following ‘B League’ comments: “You should be careful, because I don’t play those games”
Susan Cox - December 16, 2021
Kayla Harrison has sent a warning to Julianna Pena after the newly crowned UFC champion referred to her as a ‘B League’ fighter. Pena (11-4 MMA) scored one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history last weekend at UFC 269, dethroning longtime champion Amanda Nunes with a second round submission (see that here).
Julianna Pena shoots down the idea of facing “B League” fighter Kayla Harrison next
Susan Cox - December 15, 2021
Newly crowned UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is not interested in facing Kayla Harrison next. Pena (11-4 MMA) scored one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history last weekend at UFC 269, dethroning longtime champion Amanda Nunes with a second round submission (see that here).
Kayla Harrison on a potential Amanda Nunes fight: "It's just business"
Adam D Martin - November 30, 2021
PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison spoke on a potential Amanda Nunes fight, suggesting that “it’s just business.” Harrison is currently a free agent and she has spoken to several MMA promotions including the UFC, Bellator, and PFL about fighting there in 2022. If Harrison ends up in the UFC, she would likely be next to fight the UFC women’s featherweight champion Nunes, who is her teammate at American Top Team. Despite being teammates, though, this is the fight game, and as Harrison told MMAjunkie.com in a recent interview, “it’s just business.”
Cris Cyborg says Kayla Harrison reminds her of Ronda Rousey, would fight her at 155lbs
Adam D Martin - November 23, 2021
Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg says Kayla Harrison reminds her of Ronda Rousey, saying she would fight her at 155lbs. Harrison is currently a free agent find is looking for her next home in the world of MMA. Harrison was last with PFL, who could still re-sign her to a new contract, but she is also being courted by the UFC, Bellator, and even the WWE. Regardless of where she ends up, Harrison is expected to get a big-money deal as she appears to be one of the best women’s MMA fighters in the world. Those are in high demand right now, and Harrison knows that.
Gabi Garcia believes 'There’s no way' Kayla Harrison fights Cris Cyborg
Drake Riggs - November 22, 2021
Gabi Garcia isn’t buying the Kayla Harrison hype. The 31-year old two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist in Harrison is currently testing the free agency waters after an 11-0 career in the PFL (12-0 overall). When it comes to likely options, the UFC, Bellator, or returning to the promotion where she’s won two million-dollar titles seem most likely
Kayla Harrison excited to prove to Dana White she is "worth the investment"
Adam Martin - November 21, 2021
Two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison is excited to prove to UFC president Dana White that she is “worth the investment”. Harrison is one of the most dominant female MMA fighters on the planet right now, and she recently became a free agent following her latest tournament win in the PFL. For Harrison, she has won two tournaments at women’s 155lbs now in PFL and she has been incredibly dominant throughout the way. It is getting to the point now where she is such a massive betting favorite for her fights that some fans find it is a waste of time for her to be in PFL, rather than in the UFC, where she would have much tougher competition.
Scott Coker expresses interest in Kayla Harrison, says she'll be at Bellator 271
Drake Riggs - November 11, 2021
Kayla Harrison is one of the biggest free agents MMA has had perhaps since Michael Chandler. Unsurprisingly, Bellator President Scott Coker has some interest. Bellator’s featherweight division has proven to be unmatched over the years – simply due to them having the vast majority of competitors worldwide that make it up. Harrison, a lightweight throughout her career with the exception of one bout, will likely be on her way back down to 145-pounds if she so chooses not to stick with the PFL as her fighting home.
Dana White on what would happen if Amanda Nunes fought Kayla Harrison’s opponents: “Might be the first death in MMA”
Harry Kettle - November 3, 2021
UFC president Dana White has said the “first death in MMA” would happen if Amanda Nunes fought one of Kayla Harrison’s opponents. Harrison, who is now a two-time PFL champion, moved to 12-0 recently and captured her second consecutive title in the process. Many believe she has what it takes to kick on and eventually challenge Amanda Nunes in the UFC but as per Dana White, it doesn’t appear as if that’s going to happen anytime soon.
Kayla Harrison non-committal to joining the UFC following expiration of PFL contract
Adam D Martin - October 28, 2021
PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison is non-committal to joining the UFC following the expiration of her PFL contract. Harrison defeated Taylor Guardado via second-round submission in the women’s lightweight finals at the PFL Championship on Wednesday night at the Seminole Hard Rock & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Harrison dominated the fight from beginning to end by utilizing her dominant grappling game to get her opponent to the mat and finally submit her. It was the second straight tournament championship victory for Harrison in PFL, and the fight also marked the end of her contract with the promotion. Now that she has fought out the final fight of her deal, Harrison is headed towards free agency for the first time.
PFL 10 Results and Highlights: Ray Cooper lll and Kayla Harrison earn $1 million with stunning finishes
Harry Kettle - October 28, 2021
Ray Cooper III and Kayla Harrison were amongst the newly crowned millionaire champions on PFL 10 last night. It was another thrilling evening of PFL action on Wednesday with six champions, and six $1 million payouts, being made from the prelims all the way up to the main event. The usual contenders were in the mix with everything from dramatic decisions to world-class finishes being on display for the masses to enjoy.
PFL Founder Donn Davis fires back at Dana White for comments about Kayla Harrison
Drake Riggs - October 25, 2021
FORT LAUDERDALE — Kayla Harrison will be a free agent after this Wednesday’s PFL 2021 Championship. Appearing during the fight week’s media day, Harrison answered the usual round of questions – lastly focusing on comments from Dana White earlier in the day.
Kayla Harrison challenges MMA fans to 'be better' ahead of 2021 PFL Finals
Drake Riggs - October 1, 2021
FORT LAUDERDALE — Kayla Harrison is as dominant of a force as anyone in MMA in 2021. But with great success comes great detractors – or at least several in abundance. Beginning her run in June 2018 and now 11-0 in her professional MMA career, the Judo master has found the fans to be a lot more vocal than she’d experienced prior.
Cris Cyborg believes 'Ronda Rousey was more dangerous than Kayla Harrison'
Drake Riggs - August 26, 2021
Cris “Cyborg” Justino and Ronda Rousey were never too fond of one another. A super-fight between the two all-time greats was something fans fantasized about for years as the two went from Strikeforce to the UFC. However, it never came to fruition.
Cris Cyborg on potential lightweight bout with Kayla Harrison: “She can maybe take me down but I can take her down too”
Harry Kettle - August 26, 2021
Bellator champion Cris Cyborg has given her thoughts on a potential superfight with PFL star Kayla Harrison. While both women are doing their own thing in their respective promotions, this feud certainly has a “sharks circling each other” feeling to it right now. Cyborg and Harrison have proven themselves to be amongst the most dominant female stars in the sport alongside Amanda Nunes and while fighting “The Lioness” in the UFC could happen in the future, right now Harrison’s future is up in the air as she comes towards the end of her PFL deal.
PFL 8 Results: Kayla Harrison advances to 2021 finals with TKO over Genah Fabian (Highlights)
Drake Riggs - August 19, 2021
Lightweights Kayla Harrison and Genah Fabian battled it out in the main event of PFL 8 to advance to the finals and a shot at a million dollars. To reach the semifinals, the former two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist and PFL champion in Harrison dispatched of Mariana Morais and Cindy Dandois in effortless fashion. New Zealand’s Fabian, on the other hand, picked up a unanimous decision win over Laura Sanchez before finishing Julija Pajic via strikes in round two.
Kayla Harrison says she'll need 'life-changing money' to stay with PFL in 2022
Drake Riggs - August 17, 2021
The 2021 PFL season could be Kayla Harrison’s last. A two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist, Harrison has had no issues whatsoever transitioning the world of MMA. Even before she amassed a 10-0 record, fans and pundits alike pondered what it might be like seeing her take on the very best the sport has to offer – perhaps next year could be when we find out.