Kayla Harrison signs with UFC: Five reasons why the former PFL lightweight champion’s move makes sense

As MMA fans wait in anticipation of the next fight being announced ahead of such a historic UFC 300 pay-per-view card, an update from CEO Dana White late Tuesday night came like a thief in the dark.

Two-time PFL champion and double Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison will not only make her Octagon debut as a huge free-agent signing on April 13 in Las Vegas. She’ll do it at UFC 300, In a star-studded feature battle against fellow female combat sports veteran Holly Holm (15-6, 1 NC). And the fight will be fought at 135 pounds.

Even a week ago, with Harrison (16-1) and PFL officials still debating whether he actually had one more fight left on his contract, such a move seemed unlikely. Yet, here we are, a three-round fight fitting perfectly into what is becoming a must-see event (which could still include a third title fight).

That doesn’t mean there aren’t still questions, mostly stemming from the fact that Harrison has competed almost exclusively at 155 pounds within MMA. But as we get closer, with less than three months until the event, let’s take a look at the biggest reasons why Harrison’s UFC signing means so much.

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1. Harrison-Holm is a more interesting fight than many realize

There was a somewhat surprising amount of groaning on social media immediately following the announcement, primarily from die-hard UFC fans, who complained about Holm’s age (42), Harrison’s avoidance of a PFL bout with veteran Cris Cyborg, or the fact that Focused on the fact that they were expecting a big UFC 300 performance. But Holm’s legendary status as a former UFC champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer, who is still one of the UFC’s most recognizable names, should not be so easily dismissed. And his longevity and consistency, even into his advanced age, is what makes him such a legend. Yes, Holm has lost her fair share of big bouts against elite names and she hasn’t been able to replicate the life-changing upset of Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in 2015. But since then she has also remained the class of the UFC women’s divisions. Time, the title in the two divisions is never out of the picture. Holm is 3-1 (1 NC) in her last five fights, including wins over defending champion Raquel Pennington and recent title challenger Irene Aldana. Add to this all the unknowns that Harrison brings along with the dramatic weight cuts, and the extreme contrast of Styles and Holm still represents the perfect litmus test to find out if Harrison is really capable of making such a leap. is ready.

2. Harrison is doing everything possible to be great (and then some).

If you doubt Harrison can do it, take a number. But that’s what makes this idea so interesting. Except for an upset loss to two-division PFL champion Larissa Pacheco in a 2022 championship bout (Harrison won their first two meetings), the Ohio native has been completely dominant in MMA. But his success has largely come at 155 pounds, which is a division the UFC doesn’t promote (and it still barely promotes a 145-pound weight class). For example, the PFL created its 155-pound seasonal tournament just for Harrison, who became the first American to win gold in Olympic judo by winning both of her medals at 172 pounds. When Harrison was first negotiating with the UFC as a restricted PFL free agent in 2021, the idea of ​​dropping down to 135 wasn’t even an option Harrison was considering. She cut down to 145 pounds and fought just once, scoring a dominant TKO under the Invicta FC banner in 2020 while the PFL was sidelined during the pandemic, but she claimed it’s not something she’s looking forward to. more times than can be done safely.

But now, at age 33, Harrison realizes that her prime window to learn how great she could be is closing. And it makes one wonder if the PFL will rule her out of the 2023 regular season after failing to secure the Cyborg crossover fight that was in discussion (which kept her inactive for almost all of last year) allowing Harrison Realized it’s now or never, even with the PFL’s recent expansion to encompass the Bellator roster, to reach that opportunity to become an all-time great. Whether Harrison can do it or not, the intrigue is in his quest to do so and if anyone is mentally strong enough to figure out how to safely lose muscle without compromising speed and explosiveness, it’s him. It’s Harrison. An outspoken sexual abuse survivor who recently adopted her niece and nephew to save them from a difficult situation, Harrison is ready to overcome and achieve. And his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently told ESPN that Harrison took a test cut before signing the deal and passed without any problems. Achieving such a feat will only further highlight his growing legend.

3. This is a huge blow to the UFC women’s divisions

Let’s respect it where it should be and that is the UFC women’s strawweight division, which has produced competitive and exciting fights among the elite since it first debuted in 2014. However, flyweight took a little longer to evolve from Valentina Shevchenko’s display of greatness. This has become possibly the deepest division in all of women’s MMA. But bantamweight and featherweight have struggled significantly in recent years, partly due to Cyborg’s exit, but also due to the dominance of Amanda Nunes, who suddenly retired at the age of 35 after sweeping both divisions last year. they were finished. Listening to the praise during Raquel Pennington’s victory over Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant 135-pound title at UFC 297 last week gave one a sense of just how far the bantamweight has fallen. Not only would Harrison joining the division be an instant shot of elite star power, creating a series of new matchups, it would be interesting to see what would happen if Harrison finds that the cut to 135 is not realistic. Most people close to the UFC believe the featherweight division will likely end after Nunes, yet no official decision has been made. If it wasn’t safe for Harrison to make 135 but make it to featherweight, the UFC could quickly get a new face. Or, the promotion could even take a step further in combining the two divisions into the first women’s heavyweight weight class, which includes a division between 135 and 155 pounds.

4. This could move Amanda Nunes back to the bullpen

Even though she enjoyed perhaps the most perfect UFC exit last spring on her own terms, there were rumors that Nunes might be back in training and entertaining the idea of ​​making a comeback. What could be a better fight than against Harrison, his former American Top Team teammate and sparring partner in Florida. Originally, the two were close until Nunes left the gym to open her own gym, but not without first accusing ATT coaches of prioritizing working with Harrison. Even though Harrison has removed herself from the Cyborg sweepstakes by making the move, it could open the door to an even bigger showdown against Nunes. This is something to think about.

5. This is the perfect statement from the UFC after the PFL declared war

Remember when PFL founder Don Davis announced that his company, which has a TV deal on the same network as the UFC, is now ready to compete head-to-head against the industry leader? This has been the talk of the PFL since the acquisition of everyone from Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul to the entire Bellator roster. Because of this, rumors have been circulating about which fighters could be a massive free agent signing coming out of the UFC, especially now that the PFL has investment money from Saudi Arabia. Yet, the first two major free agent signings – Kayla Harrison and former Bellator star Michael “Venom” Page – were actually released from the PFL by the UFC in recent months. Should the UFC then establish Harrison as a star, one wonders whether it would consider aggressively filling out its barely existent 145-pound women’s roster by trying to cherry pick from the PFL, which Pacheco’s Because of the choice there is abundance. , Cyborg and veteran Julia Budd, among others. As restrictive as UFC contracts are still, making the idea of ​​true free agency difficult (which is why the UFC will have to go through a class action lawsuit hearing this spring amid monopoly claims), the PFL deals aren’t as stringent. . This could mean that the UFC will not only continue to be aggressive in adding to its roster but will also prevent the PFL from expanding completely.