Kayla Harrison News

Kayla Harrison reveals she signed to fight Cris Cyborg before PFL matched Bellator's offer: "I'm not scared"
Josh Evanoff - May 4, 2022
PFL lightweight Kayla Harrison has revealed just how close she was to going to Bellator. The former PFL lightweight tournament champion is set to face Marina Mokhnatkina this weekend at PFL 3. The bout is set to be the return to the promotion for Harrison, but it nearly didn’t happen.

Kayla Harrison sends a warning to media following Julianna Pena's “tomato cans” diss: “Listen, you and the media need to be careful”
Harry Kettle - May 4, 2022
Kayla Harrison has sent a warning to Julianna Pena in the wake of recent criticism from the UFC bantamweight champion. While she may have re-signed with PFL, Kayla Harrison is still keeping her options open when it comes to seeking out new opponents. She’ll be getting back to action this weekend when taking on Marina Mokhnatkina at PFL 3 but in the future, there’s every chance she ventures out to other promotions in the name of really testing herself.

Cris Cyborg discusses Kayla Harrison re-signing with PFL after rumored fight: "I knew she would stay, it was all marketing"
Josh Evanoff - April 21, 2022
Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg didn’t believe she was ever going to fight Kayla Harrison. The two women’s champions were in discussions for a fight earlier this year. Following Harrison’s contract expiring with PFL, there was widespread talk that she was going to sign with either Bellator or the UFC. As a result, she was quickly linked to a bout with Cyborg. Harrison even challenged the Bellator featherweight champion to a gym fight on social media at one point.

Henry Cejudo fires back to Kayla Harrison over gold medal comment: “If they handed out medals for beating scrubs you'd be Michael Phelps!”
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2022
Henry Cejudo has issued a fiery response to Kayla Harrison. After Cejudo announced he would be training Cris Cyborg, Harrison took a shot at “Triple C” and the Bellator featherweight champ. Of course, Cyborg had been angling for a fight with Harrison and wanted her to sign with Bellator.

Kayla Harrison reacts after Henry Cejudo announces he is training Cris Cyborg: “He cant save you. One gold medal Havin ass”
Harry Kettle - March 8, 2022
PFL star Kayla Harrison has given her thoughts on Henry Cejudo helping to train Bellator champion Cris Cyborg. For the longest time there’s been a great deal of speculation surrounding the future of Kayla Harrison. While she may already be a two-time PFL tournament winner and champion, many wonder whether or not she’ll truly be able to fulfil her potential if she doesn’t head to Bellator or the UFC.

Kayla Harrison laments prolonged absence, compares career trajectory to Ronda Rousey: "It haunts me"
Josh Evanoff - March 7, 2022
Kayla Harrison has reflected on her prolonged absence from the cage. She’s also compared her career to her fellow Olympian and former friend Ronda Rousey. Harrison has been out of the cage since October 2021, a win over Taylor Guardado. The victory cemented her as a two-time PFL tournament champion, and also made her one of the hottest free agents in the sport. Her contract with the promotion notably expired following the win.

Kayla Harrison challenges Cris Cyborg to gym fight after PFL matches Bellator offer: “I’m so sick of this sh*t”
Harry Kettle - March 2, 2022
MMA star Kayla Harrison has snapped at Cris Cyborg and challenged her to a fight at American Top Team’s gym. The last few months have been fairly chaotic for Kayla Harrison. In addition to becoming a two-time PFL champion, the two-time Olympic gold medalist has had to deal with mounting speculation regarding her future in mixed martial arts. At first it seemed as if she’d head to the UFC in order to test herself against Amanda Nunes, then she was close to signing with PFL, and then talks stalled at the eleventh hour.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk heaps praise at her ATT teammate Kayla Harrison: “Soon she is going to be ‘the name’ of women’s MMA”
Harry Kettle - February 22, 2022
Former UFC champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has praised American Top Team teammate Kayla Harrison as her meteoric rise continues. While she may have only been seen by those watching her consistent success in PFL, Kayla Harrison is still a name positioned firmly on the lips of mixed martial arts fans across the globe. She’s been pinpointed as the heir to the throne in women’s MMA and as it turns out, some of her peers agree with that assessment too.

Report | Kayla Harrison's PFL return hits a roadblock
Josh Evanoff - February 10, 2022
It appears that Kayla Harrison may not be returning to PFL after all. The Judoka made her name in the PFL over the past three years. Following her victory in the 2021 lightweight tournament, she became a free agent. She began openly hinting at a move to either the UFC or Bellator.

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).

Dana White offers Kayla Harrison the chance to prove ‘she’s the best in the world’ against Amanda Nunes: “Come over here and fight the GOAT”
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2021
UFC president Dana White has revealed that he’s interested in the prospect of Kayla Harrison coming over to fight Amanda Nunes. While Amanda Nunes has been busy knocking off every challenger that comes her way across two weight classes, Kayla Harrison has been winning back-to-back tournaments in PFL to earn two $1 million rewards.

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 makes motivations clear amid free agency, 'I don't fight to be rich or famous'
Drake Riggs - November 18, 2021
Kayla Harrison is in search of a fighting home. Whether old or new, she has her priorities set and isn’t willing to settle for anything less. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in Harrison most recently capped off another dominant run through the PFL’s 155-pound lightweight season to extend her record to 12-0 and claim another million-dollar title. Ultimately, it could end up being the last time we see her in the PFL cage as she currently tests free agency.

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.