Kayla Harrison Makes Shocking Leap to UFC

Dana White isn’t leaving any stone unturned to make UFC 300 the best card possible. Signing Kayla Harrison wasn’t a scenario many people had on their radars. It had been widely reported that Harrison had one more fight left on her deal with the Professional Fighters League.

Instead, the UFC bringing Harrison aboard became the most surprising free agent signing the promotion has made in years. But on its face, the signing doesn’t necessarily make sense. Harrison fought at 155 pounds in the PFL, a weight class the UFC has never had for women.

The UFC did have a 145-pound featherweight weight class, but that belt hasn’t been defended in several years and was dissolved after Amanda Nunes retired. The UFC has set Harrison up to fight former bantamweight champion Holly Holm at UFC 300. Harrison will be challenged to get down to 135 pounds to fight Holm.

The UFC 300 card is stacked with former champions. MMAfighting latest news shows that Holm adds another name to the list. However, in Holm’s fight, she will be the B side of the matchup. People are looking forward to seeing how Harrison can make the transition.

Harrison Finally Comes on Board

Some people hoped Harrison could follow in Ronda Rousey’s footsteps when she transitioned to mixed martial arts. Rousey was the first-ever American woman to medal at the Olympics in judo. Harrison did her one better.

During the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Harrison won the 78-kilogram weight class, bringing home the Americans’ first-ever gold medal in judo. After the 2016 Olympics, Harrison signed on as a commentator for the World Series of Fighting.

She would make her MMA debut in 2018 with the PFL, the successor to the WSOF. Harrison debuted with a submission win over Brittney Elkin in June 2018. She starts her career with a dominant stretch of performance. Harrison won her first 15 career fights.

Harrison picked up two PFL Lightweight tournament championships and fought for a third in November 2022 against Larissa Pacheco. Harrison suffered a surprising loss to Pacheco. The PFL didn’t host a women’s lightweight tournament in 2023, and Harrison’s only fight was a decision win at a 150-pound catchweight over Aspen Ladd.

Harrison is 15-1 in her career, with six wins apiece by submission or knockout. For a while, it appeared Harrison would have a career similar to Fedor Emelianko’s. While many people at one time thought Emelianko was the best heavyweight, despite never fighting in the UFC, Harrison’s free agency case was another one where it looked like the promotion’s business practices may scare a potential star away, according to MMA news sites.

Flirtations With Super Fights Fall Through

There was a significant push to get Harrison to sign with the UFC to match her up with one of her former training partners, Nunes. Harrison became a free agent in 2022 and was courted by the UFC and Bellator. Harrison agreed to a deal with Bellator in March 2022, but the PFL exercised its right to match the deal.

Any hopes of working out a fight with Nunes evaporated when she retired in 2023 after defending her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana, according to MMA latest updates. Nunes stepped away because she didn’t feel like she had anything else to prove.

Bellator had Cris Cyborg under contract then and hoped to match the women in a big fight. Cyborg would later come to the PFL anyway when PFL acquired Bellator in late 2023. It wasn’t public then that Harrison’s deal with the PFL only lasted until December 2023.

Since Harrison signed with the UFC, a fight with her and Cyborg is unlikely. The UFC has developed a rule of not co-promoting events.

Is Holm a Worthy Adversary?

It feels unfair to Holm’s legacy to ponder whether she was the best fight for Harrison. Holm was an accomplished boxer before she entered the UFC. When Holm knocked out Rousey with a vicious head kick at UFC 193 to win the bantamweight championship, it was an earth-shattering moment in MMA.

But that upset win was eight years ago. Holm, who was 10-0 after beating Rousey, has only won by knockout once. Holm is 5-6 since she shocked the world by beating Rousey. Holm’s most recent fight was a no-contest against Mayra Bueno Silva. Silva failed a drug test that led to her win being vacated. 

There is no doubt that Holm is a great fighter, but it is also true that her UFC record, other than the Rousey win, is weak. In Holm’s only title defense, she got submitted by Miesha Tate. During Holm’s other two title challenges, against Cyborg and Nunes, she came up short as well.

Harrison’s Weight Cut Will be Closely Watched

This decision to sign Harrison isn’t bizarre because the UFC brought her in. Harrison is immensely talented and can dominate opponents. But the weight issue is a major question.

Harrison has never fought below 150 pounds as a professional. The UFC wanted to abandon the 145-pound weight class because there aren’t currently enough women fighting at that weight class to make that division viable. While the reception to the announced fight between Harrison and Holm was lukewarm, if Harrison wins, it will be interesting to see what direction the UFC takes its women’s divisions.

In the next bantamweight championship fight, Julianna Pena will face newly-minted champion Raquel Pennington. If Harrison can beat Holm and lose weight with no major health issues, she could have a chance to fight for a title again.

Or if Harrison is dominant, will the UFC consider bringing the featherweight belt back to make her weight cuts a little easier? Harrison’s signing has potential if the UFC can get all of the pieces to fit together in the right manner.

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