Kayla Harrison won all three rounds of her fight against Ketlen Viera but still came out of UFC 307 with less hype than she went in with. What happened?
Kayla Harrison arrived in the UFC with a big bang, dominating former champ Holly Holm for a second round submission win at UFC 300. Her follow up fight at UFC 307 did not live up to that standard.
While Harrison won her fight against Ketlen Viera with 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 scores, this was not the performance we expected from a fighter who came into Salt Lake City saying she was ready to fight three women in one night. Harrison took some bumps, she took some lumps, she got split open. She still got the win, but she definitely looked human.
For her part, Viera proved that the women at 135 in UFC aren’t just bowling pins for Kayla to strike down en route to a title coronation. And it’s something we’ve seen glimpses of in past Harrison fights back in her PFL days. Harrison has all the skills she needs to cut a swathe of destruction through the women’s division. But sometimes the violence and killer instinct doesn’t come, and she ends up having to tough things out across 15 to 25 minutes.
HEMATOMA ON KAYLA #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/FAAMWv8hy6
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 6, 2024
We’re obviously grading on a curve here. Few other women would have this level of expectation piled upon them, but few other women have come into the UFC on this level of hype. People expected Ronda Rousey to take her opponents out in the first round. And as the second coming of Rousey, Harrison inherits an almost impossible standard to uphold, especially as she enters the circle of top contenders in MMA.
Kayla Harrison won tonight at UFC 307, but the aura she brought into the UFC with her is no longer as bright as it was before the event. Her stock has now come back to earth. Yes, she is an Olympic double gold medalist and 18-1 fighter. But she’s not an unstoppable wrecking ball like a certain other Olympian turned UFC fighter.
Crafty veterans in the 135-pound division could exploit her rough edges. And if Amanda Nunes answers her call and comes out of retirement to face her, we’d have a hard time picking Kayla to win.
For complete UFC 307 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.