The PFL wants to make the dream fight between Kayla Harrison and Cris “Cyborg” Justino a reality. PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis has offered both athletes a Rolls Royce of their choosing on top of a $3 million payout for the winner.
“PFL has offered that fight and Kayla has offered that fight,” Davis said. “We’ve offered the highest-guaranteed purse in female MMA history for that fight, and Cris Cyborg has refused. There is nothing standing in the way of that fight happening other than Cris Cyborg. If she wants to cement her legacy, make money and prove she’s better than Kayla Harrison in the cage instead of Twitter, she’d take the fight — because she’s the only reason it hasn’t happened.” (h/t ESPN)
Harrison recently lost to Larrisa Pacheco in the 2022 PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament Final. It was the first defeat in her MMA career. Before the fight, the 32-year-old was clear that she would forgo PFL’s regular season and only take super-fights in 2023.
With a loss by Harrison, it seems the super-fight will be even more difficult to put together. Justina did provide words of support for Harrison after her loss.
“Tonight will only make Judo Kayla a better fighter. One thing I learned after going 14 years undefeated is that sometimes you need to lose to become your best,” Justin said on Twitter. “Kayla will be back and she will grow from this experience.”
Will the PFL and Bellator Work Together To Put The Fight Together?
In late 2019, Justino signed an exclusive contract with Bellator MMA. According to Bellator CEO Scott Coker, it was the biggest contract ever signed by a women’s MMA fighter. Justino captured the women’s featherweight world title in her debut fight against Julia Budd. She has gone unbeaten in the promotion with all of her five wins coming by finish.
In March, Davis challenged Coker to a co-promotional event to make the dream fight happen. He also said that the losing promotion would have to pay for production costs. Coker has been open to the idea of making the fight happen but has been critical of PFL’s social media approach.
Davis has claimed that Justino has refused to fight Harrison despite the offers. Justino has said that no official offer has been made to her past social media.
I drive @Tesla
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) November 29, 2022
