Two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka and two-time PFL champion, Kayla Harrison, has signed an exclusive deal to join the UFC roster and will compete as a bantamweight against former champion Holly Holm at UFC 300.
Well, it’s official. Kayla Harrison is now a UFC fighter.
This news broke on Tuesday. UFC CEO Dana White was the one to spill the beans. He announced that the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka and two-time PFL champion has signed an exclusive deal to join the UFC roster. And guess what? She’s gonna compete as a bantamweight.
Her first match? It’s against none other than former bantamweight champion Holly Holm. This is set to go down at UFC 300. The date? April 13. The venue? T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
This is a huge shift for Harrison. She spent her entire MMA career with the PFL. But when her contract ended, she hit free agency. PFL tried to keep her. But the 33-year-old Ohio native decided to move to the UFC.
Harrison’s career is nothing short of impressive. She’s got a 16-1 record. Her only loss? It was a decision to Larissa Pacheco in 2022. But apart from that, she’s been perfect. She’s even got two prior wins over Pacheco and a recent victory over UFC veteran Aspen Ladd.
Now, she’s making a move. She’s going down to bantamweight after spending her entire career competing at either lightweight or featherweight. She talked about this potential move with MMA Fighting.
“I mean, 135 will challenge me in ways,” she said last November. “I’m going to have to lose a piece of me to be able to fight at 135 pounds. I carry a lot of muscle. I’m already kind of lean, so I’m going to have to lose muscle. I’m going to have to change my entire lifestyle. I mean, I have already done that to fight at 145.”
She continued, “It’s crazy what happens when you take care of your body and eat properly and sleep and recover. I was a knucklehead when I was younger. But I have faith whatever is meant to be, will be.”
In her bantamweight debut, Harrison is set to clash with Holm. Holm is a former 135-pound champion and a stalwart near the top of the rankings in the UFC. She’s gone 3-1 with one no contest in her past five outings. Her wins include victories over Irene Aldana, Yana Santos, and new UFC bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington.
Harrison vs. Holm is the latest addition to the growing UFC 300 card. But guess what? There’s still no main event announced yet.