Professional fighter Kayla Harrison is set to leave the Professional Fighters League (PFL) after six years and debut in the UFC against former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm at the UFC 300 card in April.
Well, it’s a new dawn for Kayla Harrison. After a solid professional career, she’s switching promotions.
She’s been with PFL for six years. Now, she’s heading to UFC. Her debut? It’s against Holly Holm, former UFC bantamweight champ. And it’s happening at the historic UFC 300 card in April.
PFL tried to keep her. But Kayla decided it was time for a change. And it seems there’s no hard feelings.
PFL CEO Peter Murray had something to say about it. “Listen, we wish Kayla well,” he said on Wednesday. Kayla’s a two-time champ with PFL. Now she’s moving to UFC.
She’s going to be on a historic card. Murray thinks that’s a testament to PFL’s talent. He wishes her well.
Kayla’s going to fight in the 135 division. That’ll be interesting. PFL sends nothing but love and best wishes. They’re still excited about supporting women in the sport.
Before Kayla signed with UFC, there were attempts to book her against Cris Cyborg. Cyborg’s the Bellator featherweight champ. They’ve been trading words for years over a potential fight.
There was hope for a Harrison-Cyborg face-off on the upcoming PFL vs. Bellator card in February. Or maybe later in the year. But talks didn’t get far. Kayla was already considering UFC.
Murray thinks the biggest loss is the missed Harrison vs. Cyborg main event. “We’re disappointed that fight between Cyborg and Kayla did not happen,” he said. Kayla chose to move on.
They had the fight that matters. The biggest fight in women’s sports, in MMA. But Kayla decided to move on. PFL wanted that fight. But they’re still building. They have a great roster.
Murray didn’t want to discuss contract details. But he’s supportive of Kayla’s next chapter. “Listen, six and a half years, we ushered Kayla into the sport. She’s a champion and we’ll definitely continue to root for her,” he said.
With Kayla gone, PFL is introducing a women’s flyweight division. But women’s featherweight won’t be part of the 2024 season format.
Featherweights will still have a home in PFL and Bellator. The focus is now on 2023 champion Larissa Pacheco vs. Cyborg.
“You think about Larissa Pacheco — Larissa, a two-time PFL champion,” Murray said. She holds two belts, two different weight classes. She defeated Kayla in 2022. She wants Cyborg.
PFL has a great division between 145ers and 155. They’re bringing in women’s 125 from PFL Europe. They decided to bring in women’s 125 as the women’s weight class alongside the five men’s weight classes in 2024.
Outside of that, you’ll see Larissa and Cyborg on a pay-per-view card. You’ll see them on potential Bellator cards, global events. So PFL has the opportunity to expand their focus with women. That was the goal.