Tag: Kayla Harrison

Sean Strickland Doubles Down On Kayla Harrison With An Apology For The PFL: “Take Your Easy W’s In The Scrub League”

Sean Strickland, Kayla HarrisonUFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland doubled down on his comments regarding Kayla Harrison as he issued an apology for the PFL. Not one to be known for his shy nature, Sean Strickland has landed himself in numerous controversies. Strickland had criticized the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) in the past for lacking quality talent as he […]

Sean Strickland, Kayla Harrison

UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland doubled down on his comments regarding Kayla Harrison as he issued an apology for the PFL.

Not one to be known for his shy nature, Sean Strickland has landed himself in numerous controversies. Strickland had criticized the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) in the past for lacking quality talent as he trashed their biggest star, Kayla Harrison.

Harrison took on Mokhnatkina at PFL 3 in Arlington, Texas this past weekend. Considered by many to be a candidate for the greatest female fighter of all time, the 31-year-old seemed to struggle in her latest outing. While she didn’t finish her opponent, she was able to snatch a win by unanimous decision.

Following her suboptimal showing on May 6, Sean Strickland took to Twitter to bash Harrison.

“Watching @KaylaH struggle with this low level girl just reminds me why shes not in the UFC. Stay in the PFL take your easy Ws in the scrub league…”

Strickland followed up with another message apologizing for his past comments about the PFL but rebuked Harrison again.

“I miss spoke about the PFL… I think Kayla is a glorified can crusher and the women’s league in the PFL needs some work… but there is some warriors in all other weight classes. The pfl needs to work harder in their female fighter roster.”

Harrison comments on her performance

Kayla was not happy with the way she managed to win the contest. In the post-fight press conference for PFL 3, Harrison shared her thoughts on a disappointing showing in the cage.

“I think it (my performance) was utter dog crap. Sorry to the fans. I wanted to put on a better show for all of you. These girls are tougher than you think. I make it look easy sometimes, but other nights not so much.” (h/t BJPenn)

Only three of Harrison’s 13 wins have been by decision. Kayla developed a reputation for dominating her opponents as she continues undefeated in her professional career. There were talks of her moving to the UFC to face higher-level competition but it fizzled out after she signed an extended deal with the PFL that has her locked down for another seven years.

As for Strickland, he’ll be looking to extend his win streak to seven when he takes on Alex Pereira at UFC 276.

Do you agree with Sean Strickland on the PFL & Kayla Harrison?

Kayla Harrison On Cris Cyborg Bout: The Ball’s In Her Court

Two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison is focused on a third league title and not a potential crossover superfight against Cris Cyborg. Harrison earned a unanimous decision victory over Marina Mokhnatkina at PFL 3 in Arlington, TX on Friday night. Many fans and pundits expected her to make quick work of Mokhnatkina, who proved to be…

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison On Cris Cyborg Bout: The Ball’s In Her Court at MMA News.

Two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison is focused on a third league title and not a potential crossover superfight against Cris Cyborg.

Harrison earned a unanimous decision victory over Marina Mokhnatkina at PFL 3 in Arlington, TX on Friday night. Many fans and pundits expected her to make quick work of Mokhnatkina, who proved to be a tougher test than most anticipated.

Harrison’s first win of 2022 was the culmination of weeks and months of speculation during her widely-publicized free agency. A major talking point was a potential fight against Cyborg in either Bellator or a cross-promotional bout.

During her PFL 3 post-fight press conference, Harrison put Cyborg in the rear-view mirror as she moves ahead in the 2022 season.

“On to the next fight,” Harrison told MMA News and other media outlets. “My focus isn’t on Cyborg right now. Obviously, a season with four fights in four and a half months is grueling, it’s a grind. I see a lot of areas where I need to keep getting better, so my focus is on me. Not on Cyborg. I’m tired of talking about her, tired of thinking about her. Now she’s going to be a free agent, the ball’s in her court. If she wants this fight, she knows where I’m at.”

Despite hinting that she feels a fight with Cyborg is inevitable, Harrison seems to be re-focused on the next chapter of her PFL tenure. She re-signed with the league earlier this year after the PFL matched an offer from Bellator.

Harrison had also been linked to a potential fight against Amanda Nunes before Nunes lost her UFC bantamweight title to Julianna Peña.

An interesting element of the discussion is the PFL’s new pay-per-view division that is scheduled to launch next year. Harrison will surely be a big factor in the division’s launch, and a fight with Cyborg could be in the works to kick things off.

Do you think Kayla Harrison could beat Cris Cyborg?

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison On Cris Cyborg Bout: The Ball’s In Her Court at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison, Anthony Pettis, Rory MacDonald Rise To The Occasion: PFL 3 Results

Kayla Harrison, Anthony Pettis, Rory MacDonaldThe Professional Fighters League (PFL) 3 fight card saw the big names come out on top as Kayla Harrison extended her undefeated run to 13. Kayla Harrison extends her unbeaten record Two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison returned to action against Marina Mokhnatkina at PFL 3. The former Olympian won by unanimous decision in a lopsided […]

Kayla Harrison, Anthony Pettis, Rory MacDonald

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) 3 fight card saw the big names come out on top as Kayla Harrison extended her undefeated run to 13.

Kayla Harrison extends her unbeaten record

Two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison returned to action against Marina Mokhnatkina at PFL 3. The former Olympian won by unanimous decision in a lopsided contest. Though Harrison believed her performance to be “utter dog crap”, her dominant display was evident on the scorecards.

With her win over Mokhnatkina this past Friday, Harrison has officially surpassed Amanda Nunes, Cris Cyborg, and Ronda Rousey for the best start to a women’s MMA career in history.

Anthony Pettis takes home the finish of the night

Former UFC and WEC champion Anthony Pettis put on a signature performance against Myles Price to win by triangle choke in the opening round of the bout. Following a rough start to the regular season that saw ‘Showtime’ drop two fights by decision, Pettis is aiming for another run at a third major promotional title.

With his thrilling submission win over Price, Pettis took home the Finish of the Night bonus as he moved up the lightweight standings. He has racked up eight performance bonuses over his UFC run that included wins over the likes of Cowboy Cerrone, Stephen Thompson, Charles Olivera, and Benson Henderson.

Rory MacDonald dominates to finish Cooper

Former Bellator welterweight champion and UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald returned for his second PFL season against the newcomer Brett Cooper. After beginning his 2021 PFL campaign with a quick six first-round submission, MacDonald lost the next two by decision including one considered to be one of the worst robberies in the game against Gleison Tibau.

Getting the fight to the mat in the first 15 seconds, the veteran MacDonald made quick of Cooper as he dominated his way to a first-round finish. After doing some damage with his ground and pound, ‘Red King’ took Cooper’s neck to lock in a rear-naked choke and take a “6 point finish”.

PFL 3: Official Results

MAIN CARD

  • Kayla Harrison def. Marina Mokhnatkina via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Carlos Leal def. Ray Cooper III via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
  • Anthony Pettis def. Myles Price via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:17
  • Rory MacDonald def. Brett Cooper via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:23
  • Larissa Pacheco def. Zamzagul Fayzalianova via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:25

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Dilano Taylor def. Joao Zeferino via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Genah Fabian def. Julia Budd via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Sadibou Sy def. Nikolai Aleksakhim via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
  • Jarrah Al Silawi def. Gleison Tibau via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Olena Kolesnyk def. Abigail Montes via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Martina Jindrova def. Vanessa Melo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PFL 3 Results & Highlights: Harrison Remains Undefeated, Pettis Wins

PFL 3 took place tonight and featured the women’s lightweights and men’s welterweight divisions, capped off by Kayla Harrison making her season debut against Marina Mokhnatkina! Also in action was last year’s welterweight season winner Ray Cooper III taking on Carlos Leal (16-3). Former UFC champ Anthony Pettis also competed tonight when he sought out…

Continue Reading PFL 3 Results & Highlights: Harrison Remains Undefeated, Pettis Wins at MMA News.

PFL 3 took place tonight and featured the women’s lightweights and men’s welterweight divisions, capped off by Kayla Harrison making her season debut against Marina Mokhnatkina!

Also in action was last year’s welterweight season winner Ray Cooper III taking on Carlos Leal (16-3). Former UFC champ Anthony Pettis also competed tonight when he sought out his first PFL victory against Myles Price (11-7), who last competed in 2019 in a split-decision victory over Peter Queally.

MMA legend Rory MacDonald also made his season debut against veteran Brett Cooper (28-15).

You can stay up to speed on the latest PFL standings right here.

You can catch all the highlights and results from PFL 3 below, followed by the quick results!

Larissa Pacheco def. Zamzagul Fayzallanova 

Rory MacDonald def. Brett Cooper

Anthony Pettis def. Myles Price 

Carlos Leal def. Ray Cooper III

Kayla Harrison def. Marina Mokhnatkina

PFL 3 QUICK RESULTS

PFL 3 MAIN CARD (ESPN2, ESPN+)

Kayla Harrison def. Marina Mokhnatkina via unanimous decision (30-27×3)

Carlos Leal def. Ray Cooper III via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)

Anthony Pettis def. Myles Price via submission (mounted triangle choke): R1, 4:17

Rory MacDonald def. Brett Cooper via submission (rear-naked choke): R1, 2:23

Larissa Pacheco def. Zamzagul Fayzallanova via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:25

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+ 6:00 PM ET)

Dilano Taylor def. Joao Zeferino via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)

Genah Fabian def. Julia Budd via unanimous decision (29-28×3)

Sadibou Sy def. Nikolay Aleksakhin via split decision (29-28×2, 27-30)

Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi def. Gleison Tibau via split decision (29-28×2, 27-30)

Helena Kolesnyk def. Abigail Montes via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

Martina Jindrova def. Vanessa Melo via unanimous decision (30-27×3)

Continue Reading PFL 3 Results & Highlights: Harrison Remains Undefeated, Pettis Wins at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison Says She Never Wants To Be A Free Agent Again

PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison enjoyed a first in her career with her widely-publicized free agency process, but she doesn’t want to repeat it. Harrison was in talks with the UFC, Bellator, and the PFL for the past few months regarding her next MMA venture. Despite hopes from some fans that she would make…

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Says She Never Wants To Be A Free Agent Again at MMA News.

PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison enjoyed a first in her career with her widely-publicized free agency process, but she doesn’t want to repeat it.

Harrison was in talks with the UFC, Bellator, and the PFL for the past few months regarding her next MMA venture. Despite hopes from some fans that she would make the move to the UFC, she opted to stay at home and re-sign with the PFL.

Harrison will make her 2022 PFL season debut this Friday night against Marina Mokhnatkina in the PFL 3 main event. She’s looking to become a three-time PFL champion after defeating Taylor Guardado in last year’s championships.

During her PFL 3 pre-fight media day press conference, Harrison explained just how much of a relief it is to focus on fighting and put the business side of the sport in the rear-view mirror.

“Obviously, free agency was a little bit chaotic, and up and down, highs and lows. I will tell you that I never wanna be a free agent again. Ever,” Harrison told MMA News and other media. “I’m the type of person who… I need a goal, I need something to wake up for. I need that bit in my mouth. So going that long without a fight, without a contract was a bit frustrating for me. Just draining and exhausting.

“So, to be back doing what I love is the most important thing. I get to do it with the company that I believe in and they believe in me I think. We’ve already done great things, we’ve already shattered ceilings, and I feel like we’re going to do even better things in this next contract.”

Harrison had been linked to a potential matchup with Cris Cyborg in Bellator before ultimately returning to the PFL. She had also been connected to a superfight against Amanda Nunes in the UFC before Nunes lost the title to Julianna Peña at UFC 269.

Harrison hasn’t closed the door on a fight with Cyborg happening down the line, but for now, she’ll look to continue to dominate the competition in the PFL. She has GOAT aspirations and knows that wins over Cyborg and Nunes will without a doubt give her that moniker.

While Harrison enjoyed the added attention as we all naturally do, she’s glad to focus on continuing to develop her game and be one of the biggest stars in women’s MMA today.

Do you think Kayla Harrison will ever fight in another promotion?

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Says She Never Wants To Be A Free Agent Again at MMA News.

Marina Mokhnatkina Responds To Kayla Harrison, Team Dissing Sambo

PFL lightweight Marina Mokhnatkina is not amused by Kayla Harrison and her team dissing her combat sambo background. Mokhnatkina will face Harrison in the PFL 3 main event this Friday night in Arlington, TX. She signed with the league last year and won her promotional debut against Claudia Zamora last August via a unanimous decision….

Continue Reading Marina Mokhnatkina Responds To Kayla Harrison, Team Dissing Sambo at MMA News.

PFL lightweight Marina Mokhnatkina is not amused by Kayla Harrison and her team dissing her combat sambo background.

Mokhnatkina will face Harrison in the PFL 3 main event this Friday night in Arlington, TX. She signed with the league last year and won her promotional debut against Claudia Zamora last August via a unanimous decision.

Mokhnatkina will provide Harrison with a unique stylistic challenge this Friday. Harrison has yet to face a sambo opponent of Mokhnatkina’s caliber, and she hopes that Harrison’s inexperience in the approach will be to her benefit.

At the beginning of PFL 3 media day, Harrison revealed that one of her coaches had said “Sambo’s for fighters who couldn’t make it in Judo” and proceeded to laugh at the jab. During her media day press conference, Mokhnatkina addressed what Harrison and her team think of her style.

“I really would not agree with that,” Mokhnatkina told MMA News and other media. “I mean it’s a couple of different disciplines, but at some point in the past they were very close to each other and kinda considered the same.

“We all come from different disciplines, there’s space for everybody. It’s a big world and there are plenty of opportunities. Judo at some point they changed their rules, became a separate sport, and then they ended up being an Olympic discipline. But like I said, you learn from one or another one. My experience on the ground… it’s very wrong to say that, but we’ll see which one prevails.”

Mokhnatkina has won two straight during stints in Bellator and the PFL. After signing with the league last year, she’ll compete this season for a shot at a PFL championship and a $1 million grand prize.

Mokhnatkina is looking to shock the world, and she’ll look to lean on her sambo and silence Harrison and her team.

What is your prediction for Kayla Harrison vs. Marina Mokhnatkina at PFL 3?

Continue Reading Marina Mokhnatkina Responds To Kayla Harrison, Team Dissing Sambo at MMA News.