Cris Cyborg said she would move up in weight if it were for a fight with Kayla Harrison.
Cris Cyborg and Kayla Harrison meeting inside of a cage seemed outside the realm of possibility, but that may no longer be the case. Both Cyborg and Harrison are two of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts, so a potential fight between them has ranked high on the list of “what if” matchups in the sport.
Of course, there were certain hurdles in the way of said fight ever coming to fruition. First, Cyborg and Harrison currently compete in different promotions with the former being the reigning featherweight champion in Bellator MMA and the latter running the lightweight division in the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Then, there was the issue of figuring out which weight class this would be contested under since Cyborg typically competes at 145 pounds, whereas Harrison does so at 155 pounds. However, that second hurdle was recently cleared.
Because she was unable to fight for an extended period, thanks to PFL cancelling its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harrison was allowed to take fights outside of the promotion. Her last fight came under the Invicta FC banner. There she met and defeated Courtney King in what was her featherweight debut. Seeing now that Harrison is indeed capable of making 145 pounds, Cyborg would love to make that fight a reality.
“I saw she made the weight,” Cyborg told James Lynch on The Catch-Up Podcast. “I didn’t watch the fight, but a couple fights I’ve seen her. I believe she’s fighting girls under [or] below her skill. Like the girls aren’t on her level, but she’s doing great. This is a strategy of her manager. Of course, she has to keep winning.”
While Harrison has proven she can compete at the weight class that Cyborg typically features, the Bellator champion would also not mind moving up in weight and having the fight at 155 pounds. Cyborg indicated that she will be keeping a close eye on Harrison as she resumes her PFL career in the first quarter of 2021.
If Harrison finds the same success in the women’s lightweight tournament as she did in 2019, then Cyborg sees ample opportunity to push for a fight with her afterwards.
“I believe this year she’s gonna fight for PFL,” said Cyborg. “She’s gonna be in a tournament at 155 [pounds] and if she becomes champion of this tournament, for sure I would like to make a match with her that all the fans would like to watch. I would like to go to 155. Before I retire, I want to help build that division and if she is young, let’s see if she would like to do a match. One real match for her.
“I’ve never had the opportunity [to fight at lightweight]. All of the people told me to go below. For me, I walk at 170-175. If it is at 155, it would be better than 145. I never had the chance, but for sure, this is one dream that could come true.”
Aside from the Harrison fight, Cyborg is looking forward to her next title defence in Bellator, which is expected to happen soon.