Kayla Harrison’s signing with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is sort of a big deal, but not everyone within the combat community thought it was the best move for the former Olympic gold medalist.
Harrison, who is widely regarded as one of the pound-for-pound best female fighters in combat sports today, has been killing the competition as a member of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) roster dating back to 2018. She has amassed a ridiculous 16-1 record with 12 total stoppages and a few $1 million checks for tournament wins in 2019 and 2021.
That said, Harrison hasn’t been fighting the best competition around. She has some pretty good wins under her belt, but nothing that truly stands out. That’s why fans are so excited to finally welcome Harrison to the UFC roster and watch her fight the best in the world. This all starts with a debut showdown against Holly Holm at UFC 300 this coming April.
While most are pleased with Harrison’s move from PFL to UFC, some members of the fight community aren’t sold that the former Olympic gold medalist made the best choice possible.
“The talk that Amanda Nunes may come back, that is the biggest fight they can make in the 135-pound division,” said former UFC fighter and current Bellator MMA analyst Josh Thomson during a recent episode of his “Weighing In” podcast. “This picture is her standing next to Dustin Poirier at American Top Team as of yesterday. I think that she already looks like she started her weight cut. I think she had a good idea she was going to be making this weight cut for the last probably two or three months. Smart on her part to go where she wanted to go. I think she went where the easier fights are.”
Thomson’s podcast counterpart, former MMA referee and current Bellator commentator John McCarthy, is in agreeance. He doesn’t believe Harrison made the right choice that is going to lead to the toughest fights.
“I don’t blame her for going to the UFC. I don’t blame her for saying how (she wants) to be part of that organization. It’s a phenomenal organization,” McCarthy said. “I understand why she feels like this is a good move for (her). It’s just after all the talk, it’s all about the competition. No, it’s not.”
It’s likely that Thomson and McCarthy are being a little bit bias because Harrison didn’t book a superfight with Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, but we’ll let you be the judge.
Will Harrison face the best competition under the UFC banner or should she have signed somewhere else?
Let’s hear it!