Tag: PFL News

Kayla Harrison Suggests UFC Offer Is A Case Of Bad Timing

Two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison hasn’t made up her mind on her free agency, but the UFC’s offer may now be off the table. Harrison earned the 2021 PFL lightweight championship after defeating Taylor Guardado in the finals. She remains undefeated in her professional MMA career after a successful tenure in Olympic Judo. Many believed […]

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Two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison hasn’t made up her mind on her free agency, but the UFC’s offer may now be off the table.

Harrison earned the 2021 PFL lightweight championship after defeating Taylor Guardado in the finals. She remains undefeated in her professional MMA career after a successful tenure in Olympic Judo.

Many believed that the UFC might’ve been the most likely destination for Harrison. This included a potential matchup with her now-former teammate Amanda Nunes for the UFC featherweight title.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Harrison explained her free agency decision process and what promotions are still under consideration.

“I got the offer from the UFC. I know what it is. I think timing-wise, because of certain things that are gonna happen with Amanda [Nunes] and Julianna [Peña] etc…” Harrison said. “Timing is kind of everything in this sport, so PFL’s definitely the front-runner. Bellator, again, we had spoken to. I don’t know the exact details of what was said between Ali and them, but I know what I had proposed, so, it doesn’t look like that’s gonna—we’ll see.”

Harrison was then asked whether or not Nunes’ shocking loss to Julianna Peña altered any plans she had to sign with the UFC.

“Not really, I was bummed for my teammate that night, there’s a viral video of me screaming something like, ‘Fuck!’ But it was mostly ’cause I was in shock and bummed for her. But what Amanda does with her career has no barring on my career and I respect her, I have a ton of respect for her as a fighter, as a mom, as a human being, but my journey is my journey.”

Recent reports indicate that Harrison is expected to re-sign with the PFL on possibly a one-year contract. This would allow her to reevaluate the landscape next year.

Harrison has emerged as one of the most dominant fighters in MMA today and could fight on the biggest platform in the sport sooner rather than later. But for now, it appears that the UFC may be temporarily out of the Kayla Harrison sweepstakes.

What are your predictions for Kayla Harrison in 2022?

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Suggests UFC Offer Is A Case Of Bad Timing at MMA News.

PFL’s Peter Murray Claims Claressa Shields Remains Committed To MMA

Claressa Shields will be back for the 2022 PFL season.

Olympic gold medalist boxer Claressa Shields will be continuing her journey in the world of mixed martial arts. Shields got her start in professional MMA as a member of the 2021 Professional F…

Claressa Shields

Claressa Shields will be back for the 2022 PFL season.

Olympic gold medalist boxer Claressa Shields will be continuing her journey in the world of mixed martial arts. Shields got her start in professional MMA as a member of the 2021 Professional Fighters League 2021 season. Shields’ future in MMA was unclear following the season as she looked to return to boxing, but PFL’s chief executive Peter Murray has confirmed that she will be back to compete this year.

“Yes, Claressa will be back [in the PFL] – she’s committed to becoming a two-sport athlete in both boxing and MMA,” Murray told BBC.com. “It’s an incredible story, Claressa is a superstar and fans will get to see how far she can go in two sports at the highest level.”

Shields made her promotional debut in June of last year. She defeated Brittney Elkin by third-round TKO. She followed that up with another bout in October, this time she was beaten by Abigail Montes vis split division. Shields has the standup skills of a champion, but she needs to keep working on her ground skills. Despite this fact, Shields has high aspirations to keep competing at the highest level in both boxing and MMA.

“She transcends combat sports, both boxing, and MMA,” said Murray. “Will she be a two-sport champion? That’s the story and it’s an opportunity to see her develop. That’s what the PFL is providing fans and Claressa is very humbly putting it all out there.”

Shields is one of the most famous female boxers today. She has the support of many high-class fighters both in boxing and MMA. She recently had a high compliment from UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and has trained with Cris Cyborg in the past. She has also been on the radar of Jake Paul, the two have been feuding about a rumor that Shields asked to be placed on Paul’s undercard.

The PFL 2022 season is set to kick off in April, with a Challenger series beginning in February. As of now, there is no confirmation on whether Shields will compete in a 2022 tournament or if she will compete in non-tournament bouts as she did in 2021.

Do you think Claressa Sheilds has what it takes to become a champion in MMA?

Continue Reading PFL’s Peter Murray Claims Claressa Shields Remains Committed To MMA at MMA News.

PFL Announces New ESPN Broadcasting Deal Amidst Harrison Talks

The PFL has renewed its broadcasting deal with ESPN for the 2022 league season and beyond amidst contract talks with its biggest star.

The league is also reportedly expected to re-sign Kayla Harrison to a new contract as her free agency comes to a …

PFL

The PFL has renewed its broadcasting deal with ESPN for the 2022 league season and beyond amidst contract talks with its biggest star.

The league is also reportedly expected to re-sign Kayla Harrison to a new contract as her free agency comes to a close.

2022 regular season and playoff events will be simulcasted on ESPN and ESPN+. Some additional PFL coverage will take place on ESPN2.

The PFL first agreed to a broadcast partnership with ESPN back in 2019. Before that, the league had a longstanding deal with NBC Sports before “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” agreed to become the league’s new televised home.

2022 is expected to be another huge year for the PFL as a whole. The league’s new Challenger Series program, similar to Dana White’s Contender Series, will launch next month. The show will give up-and-coming prospects a chance at signing with the league.

“After two successful years of providing fans with premium MMA content alongside ESPN, PFL is proud to extend and expand our agreement,” CEO Peter Murray said via a press release. “As MMA continues to evolve as a sport and rights property, our differentiated product and unique approach will help shape its path forward and in 2022 fans can expect more events, matchups between the world’s best fighters, and innovative content than ever before.” (h/t MMA Fighting)

The league has added a different spin on how MMA is scored and judged. The PFL’s point-based system, along with its league standings and postseason, has added a new and unique dimension to the sport.

The PFL regular season will begin on April 20 as Anthony Pettis, Julia Budd, and possibly Harrison make their returns to the cage.

Will you watch the PFL this season?

Continue Reading PFL Announces New ESPN Broadcasting Deal Amidst Harrison Talks at MMA News.

Report: Kayla Harrison’s Return To PFL Hits Sudden Roadblock

Not so fast: Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison may not be shooting for a three-peat as the PFL’s women’s lightweight champion after all. Last month, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that the PFL is the strong front-runner to re-sign Harrison. In a follow-up tweet to the report, he stated that the deal was as good…

Continue Reading Report: Kayla Harrison’s Return To PFL Hits Sudden Roadblock at MMA News.

Not so fast: Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison may not be shooting for a three-peat as the PFL’s women’s lightweight champion after all.

Last month, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that the PFL is the strong front-runner to re-sign Harrison. In a follow-up tweet to the report, he stated that the deal was as good as done.

Harrison herself confirmed that she was nearing a deal with the PFL. Then, Thursday morning, things took a turn.

“Talks between Kayla Harrison and the PFL have hit a snag at the 11th hour, I’m told. They aren’t dead but road blocks have materialized. She is now assessing her next move and nothing is being ruled out,” Helwani tweeted.

Harrison also sent out the following tweet shortly before Helwani’s report:

“Change of plans?”

Kayla Harrison has been competing in MMA since 2018, with the entirety of her 12 professional fights taking place in the PFL. The Olympian has remained undefeated, with each victory being either a finish or a dominant unanimous decision. Most recently, Harrison won the PFL’s women’s lightweight season for the second time when she defeated Taylor Guardado at PFL 10.

This latest development will no doubt give hope to the many MMA fans who remain eager to see Harrison face a fresh batch of competition. It also will no doubt reinvigorate UFC’s and Bellator’s efforts to land Harrison.

According to Helwani’s January report, the UFC was making a strong push to land Harrison. In fact, White publicly invited Harrison to prove how good she is by fighting Amanda Nunes, who at the time of those comments had not lost a fight since 2014. Bellator President Scott Coker also stated that he would try to woo Harrison into the Bellator fold.

Numerous people within the industry, including WMMA legend Miesha Tate, believe Harrison should join the UFC, with others arguing that she should join any larger promotion with a deeper talent pool.

MMA News will no doubt keep you abreast of all the latest updates on this developing story.

Continue Reading Report: Kayla Harrison’s Return To PFL Hits Sudden Roadblock at MMA News.

Anthony Pettis Confirms Another Season With PFL

Anthony Pettis is getting ready to return to action for the 2022 season.

With the new year upon us, the next season of PFL is right around the corner. The 2021 season was a great success for PFL. During the offseason, they added a number of well-k…

Anthony Pettis

Anthony Pettis is getting ready to return to action for the 2022 season.

With the new year upon us, the next season of PFL is right around the corner. The 2021 season was a great success for PFL. During the offseason, they added a number of well-known fighters to the roster, one of which was former UFC champion, Anthony Pettis.

Pettis has now confirmed that he will be back again and joining PFL for the 2022 season. He spread the news on his personal Twitter page.

Pettis is most well known for his tenure with the UFC. He was with the organization from 2011, and in his ten years there won the lightweight title. He successfully defended it once before losing it to Rafael dos Anjos. He decided to walk away from the UFC in 2021 following two consecutive wins. He then announced his move to PFL as one of the biggest signings.

Pettis’s first season with PFL was filled with great expectations that he did not quite live up to. He lost both of his PFL bouts last season and did not make it to the playoffs. Pettis along with the rest of the lightweight division will be looking to battle it out for the big $1 million prize that awaits the winner of each division.

Some believe that his career could be coming to an end, but he is not ready to walk away yet. In addition to his skills inside the cage, Pettis is also beginning a career outside the cage. Pettis has recently opened his own MMA fight promotion called Showtime FC. As he approaches this next season, Pettis has already achieved so much in the sport and is still gaining more success.

How do you think Anthony Pettis will fair in the next season of PFL?

Continue Reading Anthony Pettis Confirms Another Season With PFL at MMA News.

Taylor “Would Love” For Shields To Ditch MMA & Focus Solely On Boxing

Undisputed Lightweight Champion Katie Taylor has praised Claressa Shields for her venture into MMA but believes the unified middleweight titleholder should now focus solely on her boxing career.

Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the onl…

Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields

Undisputed Lightweight Champion Katie Taylor has praised Claressa Shields for her venture into MMA but believes the unified middleweight titleholder should now focus solely on her boxing career.

Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the only boxer in history to hold all four major world titles simultaneously across two weight classes, tested the waters of mixed martial arts as part of the rising PFL promotion in 2021. Having built an unblemished 11-0 record in the squared circle, “T-Rex” looked to create similar success in the cage.

Last June, Shields got off to a winning start in her new sport, recovering from two dropped rounds to TKO Brittney Elkin in the third on debut. But while she was able to overcome her ground deficiencies in her first appearance, the 26-year-old was unable to do the same in her second outing.

At the PFL Finale in October, Shields suffered her first professional loss in combat sports. She fell on the wrong side of a split decision against Abigail Montes after failing to prevent her opponent’s takedowns and keep the fight on the feet.

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Taylor Gives Her Take On Shields’ Two-Sport Venture

Despite her first setback, most acknowledge the transition from boxing to MMA was always going to be difficult, and the likes of UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya have praised Shields for trying her hand at a new sport. It also seems the journey is far from over for “T-Rex,” who expects to return to the cage for her third appearance in 2022.

But one of her fellow pound-for-pound boxing stars Katie Taylor believes a return to MMA wouldn’t be wise. Speaking during an appearance on The MMA Hour, the Irish champion credited Shields for taking on the cross-over challenger. However, “KT” believes she should now streamline all her efforts towards her career in the ring.

“I definitely didn’t expect (Shields to fight in MMA). But I thought it was a fantastic challenge for her to take on because boxing and MMA are two completely different sports. It’s very, very hard for anyone in boxing to cross over because, obviously, we have no ground game.

“If anybody got me to the ground, for example, it would be a huge problem for me. I think obviously you always have a puncher’s chance maybe, but it’s a priority — it’s very, very hard to stay on your feet. So I think it was an admirable challenge for her to take on. But I would love for her just to focus on boxing now.”

Taylor’s plea for Shields to leave her MMA career in the past, for now at least, comes ahead of what looks to be a busy year in boxing for the “GWOAT.”

Shields was initially set to return to the sport to defend her middleweight belts against Slovenia’s Ema Kozin later this month. However, with the British Boxing Board of Control announcing the suspension of the sport in the UK due to COVID-19, the status of that clash, scheduled for Cardiff, Wales, is uncertain.

Beyond that, Shields looks set for a blockbuster undisputed middleweight showdown with England’s Savannah Marshall later this year. With exciting challenges ahead of her in boxing, Taylor believes her immediate future is best set in the squared circle and nowhere else.

“There’s a lot of big fights out there for her,” Taylor said. “The likes of Savannah Marshall, who’s a fantastic world champion fighter, and I think Savannah actually beat her as an amateur fighter, so that is a huge, huge, huge fight for them. It’s probably one of the biggest fights in women’s boxing.” (h/t Boxing Scene)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYAT3g4Mb7U/

Do you agree with Katie Taylor? Should Claressa Shields focus on her career inside the ring?

Continue Reading Taylor “Would Love” For Shields To Ditch MMA & Focus Solely On Boxing at MMA News.