Manager makes unlikely claim Harrison is ‘highest’ paid female fighter ‘ever’

Manager Ali Abdelaziz puts Kayla Harrison at the top of the highest-paid female athlete of all-time list.

Back in late 2019, Kayla Harrison proclaimed herself to be the highest-paid female fighter in MMA. At the time, she’d already won the PFL’s women’s lightweight tournament which earned her an instant $1 million.

Harrison won the same tournament in 2021, which meant another million-dollar payday. But for a while, she was toying with the idea of free agency until she decided to re-sign with PFL when it matched everyone else’s offers.

With a potentially lucrative new contract in place, Harrison’s net worth is likely getting a boost. But according to her manager Ali Abdelaziz, the 31-year-old Olympic gold medalist could have ascended to the top of the ladder of highest-paid female fighters of all time.

“Kayla is the highest (paid) female fighter ever,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “And I know Adesanya say this, Masvidal say this. The highest-paid male fighter in the UFC is Conor McGregor. Number two is Kamaru Usman. Everybody else? I guarantee you, Kayla Harrison makes more money than all these other two guys I just mentioned. Guarantee you.”

When asked for ballpark figures, Abdelaziz refused to indulge. But he did paint a picture of what Harrison’s financial situation looks like.

“(She has) too much money. I don’t think she can count in three weeks. That’s how much money she can make. But she deserves it.”

It’s a curious claim because it doesn’t seem to be close to reality, especially with how much Ronda Rousey made with the UFC before. As Bloody Elbow’s Anton Tabuena noted, it would be hard to top Rousey’s old contract.

Abdelaziz expects Harrison to dominate the upcoming 2022 season of the PFL, which kicks off in April. She is currently undefeated with a 12-0 record.