Tag: PFL 10

Kayla Harrison Armbars Taylor Guardado To Become Back-To-Back Champ – PFL 10 Highlights

Kayla HarrisonKayla Harrison dominated as you expected. Taylor Guardado came out swinging early on in their women’s lightweight championship fight at PFL 10 on Wednesday night. However, it was all Harrison after that. In the second round, Harrison took Guardado to the ground and mounted her as she was smothering her with strikes. Guardado did enough […]

Kayla Harrison

Kayla Harrison dominated as you expected.

Taylor Guardado came out swinging early on in their women’s lightweight championship fight at PFL 10 on Wednesday night. However, it was all Harrison after that.

In the second round, Harrison took Guardado to the ground and mounted her as she was smothering her with strikes. Guardado did enough to survive only for Harrison to transition to an armbar.

Guardado defended initially before Harrison eventually sunk it in and got the tap.

Harrison is now a back-to-back PFL champion and $1 million richer.

Check out the highlights below:

What did you think of Harrison’s performance?

Abigail Montes Hands Claressa Shields First MMA Defeat – PFL 10 Highlights

shieldsClaressa Shields is no longer undefeated in mixed martial arts. Competing in just her second MMA fight, the boxing champion was outgrappled by Abigail Montes in their women’s lightweight matchup at PFL 10. It was a largely forgettable contest with not much action in the first two rounds. However, Montes did enough to get the […]

shields

Claressa Shields is no longer undefeated in mixed martial arts.

Competing in just her second MMA fight, the boxing champion was outgrappled by Abigail Montes in their women’s lightweight matchup at PFL 10.

It was a largely forgettable contest with not much action in the first two rounds. However, Montes did enough to get the second before finishing the third round by mounting Shields and unloading with ground and pound.

Shields managed to survive, but it wasn’t a good visual by any means as it appeared clear to everyone that Montes won the fight. Would she get the decision?

It was close as one judge scored it to Shields, however, the other two scored it to Montes who earned the split decision win as well as the biggest victory of her career.

Check out the highlights below:

What did you think of the fight?

Kayla Harrison: The UFC Isn’t My Only Path To Becoming The Greatest

PFL lightweight star Kayla Harrison believes she has multiple career paths to choose from, all of which she believes could see her become the greatest of all time. Harrison’s path to becoming one of the most sought after free agents in combat sports history has been as rapid as it’s been destructive. Following back-to-back Olympic […]

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PFL lightweight star Kayla Harrison believes she has multiple career paths to choose from, all of which she believes could see her become the greatest of all time.

Harrison’s path to becoming one of the most sought after free agents in combat sports history has been as rapid as it’s been destructive. Following back-to-back Olympic gold medal successes in 2012 and 2016, the judoka made the transition to mixed martial arts. Fast forward three years and Harrison has already reached a rare stage of dominance.

In 11 professional fights, Harrison boasts an unblemished record that includes nine stoppages, five by knockout and four via submission. All but one of her outings came in the rapidly rising Professional Fighters League promotion. Just seven bouts into her career, Harrison achieved championship success for the first time when she won the 2019 PFL Lightweight Championship.

On Wednesday, Harrison will be hoping to secure consecutive PFL title successes. After three first-round victories this season, the Ohio native has found herself preparing for another 155-pound final, this time against Taylor Guardado.

Harrison Doesn’t Believe She Has To Fight In The UFC To Be The Greatest

Harrison’s PFL 10 clash will be the last on her current contract. That’s led to rampant speculation about where she could choose to venture to next should she not decide to stay put. Earlier in the year, Harrison suggested the PFL would have to offer her a significantly more lucrative contract in order to keep her for another season.

However, Dominance MMA CEO Ali Abdelaziz recently expressed his confidence that a deal with Harrison’s current promotion will be agreed upon. In addition, Harrison has revealed that she has a number in mind that, if met, will make her choose the security of the PFL over the uncertainty of free agency.

With her future certainly up in the air heading into her 12th career fight, Harrison has addressed her current situation. During an interview with ESPN MMA’s Marc Raimondi, the 31-year-old suggested her label as the sport’s biggest free agent is the mark of all the hard work she’s put into her career.

“I worked hard to become MMA’s biggest free agent of all time. This isn’t something that just happened this year, where everyone, I mean people may just now be tuning in, but I’ve been busting my ass since I was six years old to get to the point where I’m the most sought after free agent in the history of this sport. That’s the kind of pressure I want, that’s the kind of news I want spreading about me. I want people to be like, ‘Damn, she’s so good, where’s she gonna go, she can go anywhere, she can do anything.’ That’s what I want, that’s what I’ve worked hard for.”

Discussing her goal of becoming the greatest of all time, Harrison commented on the perception that she can only do so if she reaches the top in the UFC. According to the lightweight star, she has multiple paths to becoming the greatest, not all of which includes a stint in the Dana White-led promotion.

“I think that everyone is entitled to their opinion. Of course, the UFC is the face of MMA. They have done such a great job and they’ve been around for so long, and they’ve pretty much made UFC synonymous with MMA, some people don’t know the difference still, to this day… Of course, it’s where the greatest of all time have fought. Would I like to fight there? I think that each fighter has their own journey, I have my journey, and I think there are a couple of different paths I could take to going down as the greatest, and the UFC is one of them. But I don’t think it has to be, we’ll see.”

With her future uncertain heading into PFL 10, many believe we could see Kayla Harrison sign with the UFC sooner rather than later. However, the promotion’s president Dana White recently suggested the judoka should remain with the PFL rather than compete on the talent-filled UFC roster.

In response, Harrison promised that White will see her become the greatest, whether in his promotion or outside of it. Only time will tell if Harrison can surpass the likes of Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, but at 11-0, she’s certainly made a solid start to her quest to do so.

Do you think Kayla Harrison needs to conquer the UFC before being considered the GOAT?

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison: The UFC Isn’t My Only Path To Becoming The Greatest at MMA News.

Harrison Reveals She Has A Number In Mind To Stop Free Agency

Kayla Harrison has revealed that she has a number in mind that, if matched, could see her stay put in the PFL rather than venture into free agency. Following her final contracted PFL fight this week, Harrison is set to become the most sought-after free agent in mixed martial arts. That’s despite only debuting in […]

Continue Reading Harrison Reveals She Has A Number In Mind To Stop Free Agency at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison has revealed that she has a number in mind that, if matched, could see her stay put in the PFL rather than venture into free agency.

Following her final contracted PFL fight this week, Harrison is set to become the most sought-after free agent in mixed martial arts. That’s despite only debuting in the sport in 2018. Following a successful career as a judoka, which saw the Ohio native claim two Olympic gold medals, one in London and one in Rio de Janeiro four years later, Harrison transitioned to MMA.

11 appearances later and the 31-year-old has an unblemished record that includes five knockouts and four submissions, a PFL Lightweight Championship and $1 million, and a firm base for becoming one of the greatest’s of all time. She’ll look to further establish her path to the top with a second title success this week.

With three first-round victories over Mariana Morais, Cindy Dandois, and Genah Fabian, Harrison has found herself in the women’s 155-pound PFL final for the second consecutive season. Her quest for another dose of glory will see Harrison clash with Taylor Guardado on Wednesday.

Aside from a sole victory under the banner of Invicta FC, Harrison’s entire professional career has been spent with the rapidly rising PFL promotion. However, her 11th fight with the organization will be the last on her current contract. Given her growing popularity and fanfare, many have suggested a move to either the UFC or Bellator MMA could be on the cards.

Despite that, Harrison isn’t ecstatic about the idea of free agency. The 31-year-old previously suggested the PFL would have to offer her an incredibly lucrative contract in order to keep her services for another season. It now seems the dominant American Top Team product has a number that could see her extend her PFL stay in mind.

Kayla Harrison Provides Update On Looming Free Agency

Kayla Harrison
Photo by Dave Mandel/Invicta FC

During a recent interview with ESPN MMA’s Marc Raimondi, Harrison said she’d be willing to avoid the “uncertainty” of free agency if her demands are matched, especially now that she has a family to provide for.

“You know, I really haven’t given it a ton of thought. [Has becoming a mom impacted your thoughts on free agency?] I think yes, in the sense that now I have two kids, so… I have a number in my head that is okay, if I’m offered this number, I will choose security of that number over the uncertainty of free agency. [What number might that be?] It’s none of your business, that number,” Harrison jokingly replied.

Harrison went on to confirm that the number would be seven figures per fight. However, she insisted that her focus remains solely on defeating Guardado at PFL 10 on Wednesday.

“That’s it. I’m not really thinking about it any further than that. You know, I have a job to do here… my job isn’t finished, the work’s not done, I’m gonna go out there and instill my will one round at a time, one minute at a time, one exchange at a time, one breath at a time and I’m gonna make Taylor quit. That’s all I really think about and I know that the rest will work itself out. Anytime I’ve stressed about money, money has become a problem. But the moment that I take a step back, I release all of that negative energy and I just focus on what it is I’m supposed to do, the money comes. It’ll work out.”

With Dana White’s latest comments, it seems a move to the UFC won’t be on the table if Harrison commits to free agency. Given the PFL star’s recent feud with Cris Cyborg, perhaps a move to Bellator to challenge the former UFC champion will become the most likely move for Harrison. However, her manager Ali Abdelaziz remains confident a deal can be negotiated with the PFL.

Where would you like to see Kayla Harrison fighting after her final contracted PFL bout?

Continue Reading Harrison Reveals She Has A Number In Mind To Stop Free Agency at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison Looks Forward To Fighting Julia Budd In The Future

Kayla Harrison is excited to see PFL signing some new blood.  The news broke yesterday former Bellator featherweight champion, Julia Budd, has signed with the Professional Fighters League. Ahead of her second bid at $1 million, Harrison spoke with MMA Junkie about her promotion’s newest acquisition.  “That’s great for the PFL,” Harrison told MMA Junkie. […]

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Looks Forward To Fighting Julia Budd In The Future at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison is excited to see PFL signing some new blood. 

The news broke yesterday former Bellator featherweight champion, Julia Budd, has signed with the Professional Fighters League. Ahead of her second bid at $1 million, Harrison spoke with MMA Junkie about her promotion’s newest acquisition. 

“That’s great for the PFL,” Harrison told MMA Junkie. “I think it’s awesome they’re continuing to build their women’s division, and she’s obviously a Bellator champion, former champion, and it’s a great signing.”

Kayla Harrison Dandois
Kayla Harrison and Cindy Dandois in their lightweight fight at PFL 6 (PHOTO: Cooper Neill / PFL)

Budd brings a professional record of 14 wins and 3 losses. The only person to defeat Budd in the last decade is Cris Cyborg. Her other two losses came at the hands of some rather famous names in Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes. 

Harrison is familiar with Budd but didn’t know PFL signed her until she was informed in the interview. The Olympic judoka offered some praise for Budd for being well known but doesn’t seem concerned with the potential opponent. 

“I think I’ve watched her fight before, of course,” Harrison said. “She’s a bit of a bigger name in the sport, but I didn’t know they signed her. I’m not privy to these conversations. I’ve said it many times, I’ll fight whoever is in front of me, I don’t really care.”

She continued, “I think it’s an exciting fight. I look forward to competing against her one day if the stars align. And if not, I wish her the best of luck in her PFL career.”

Harrison, undefeated in 11 professional bouts, is currently in training for October 27th. It’s then that she’ll meet Taylor Guardado in the Finals of the PFL Lightweight tournament. 

After her defeat to “Cyborg,”  Budd rebounded with a pair of victories over Jessica Miele and Dayana Silva before leaving Bellator. 

Who do you think would win in a match between Kayla Harrison and Julia  Budd?

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Looks Forward To Fighting Julia Budd In The Future at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison Is Own Biggest Critic After PFL 10 Championship Win

Kayla Harrison is proud to have given birth to another one-sided performance at PFL 10, which delivered her what she considers to be a new sibling for her other “children,” but like any new mother, she knows she still has a lot of work ahead. At last n…

Kayla Harrison is proud to have given birth to another one-sided performance at PFL 10, which delivered her what she considers to be a new sibling for her other “children,” but like any new mother, she knows she still has a lot of work ahead. At last night’s PFL 10 2019 Championships, Kayla Harrison defeated […]

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