UFC 300 fight card: Kayla Harrison signs with UFC, makes promotional debut against former champion Holly Holm

Kayla Harrison is officially in the UFC. The former Olympic gold medalist is set to make the jump from the Professional Fighters League to 300 in April when she faces former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm. UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday night that the fight will take place at 135 pounds.

Harrison, 33, won gold medals in judo at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics weighing 78 kilograms, or about 171 pounds. He made his professional debut with the PFL in 2018 and has been a mainstay of the roster for the past five years. She won the PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament twice in 2019 and 2021, earning a $1 million prize in each. She suffered her only professional defeat to Larissa Pacheco in the 2022 final of the tournament.

Many expected Harrison to face Bellator Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg, as both promotions were under the same roof, beginning with a Bellator vs. PFL Champion card set for February 24 in Saudi Arabia.

But instead, Harrison will step into the UFC and compete at a weight a full 20 pounds lighter than he has in his entire career. Harrison last fought in November where he won a unanimous decision over former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd.

Holm, 42, has been embroiled in title contention for the past few years. Since pulling off an upset by defeating Ronda Rousey by knockout in November 2015, Holm has fought for the title four times and lost each opportunity. She is also coming off a submission loss to Mayra Bueno Silva last July, but the result was voided to a no contest after Silva tested positive for a banned substance.

UFC 300 is scheduled to take place on April 13 in Las Vegas. The card boasts a host of fights, including a BMF title bout between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway as well as a women’s strawweight title bout between champion Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan.