Kayla Harrison and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Manager Lauded For Move to Invicta FC

Kayla Harrison will soon be taking a massive step in her young MMA career. The two-time Olympic gold medalist will fight for Invicta FC in a Featherweight bout against Courtney King. Harrison usually fights at Lightweight (155 pounds) and will make her debut at Featherweight.

She has dominated in the Pro Fighting League. However, PFL could not put on shows during the pandemic. As a result, their fighters have not been able to fight elsewhere either. Harrison choosing to stay active and make a weight class change to fit in with the larger standards for women’s MMA is indicative of where she sees herself headed.

The move to Invicta FC was appreciated by noted ESPN Analyst Brett Okamoto, who also commended her manager Ali Abdelaziz for engineering the move.

Abdelaziz is one of the few super-agents in MMA. He boasts a clientele of world champion, headlined by the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kamaru Usman. Harrison has the potential to be a superstar, and this move was definitely engineered by Abdelaziz.

Kayla Harrison and her future in MMA

A move to Featherweight is a clear indicator of Harrison’s goal. The UFC does not have a 155-pound division for women, with their 145-pound division stagnating as well. Champion Amanda Nunes is busy defending her Bantamweight belt. Harrison is one of the biggest names outside the UFC right now, but she doesn’t need to be outside for very long.

Considering the minimal depth at 145 in the UFC, Harrison could be a relatively quick pick up by the UFC. She could feasibly challenge Nunes for her belt sooner rather than later. Invicta is just the first step to making it to the promised land in MMA.

Harrison has a Ronda Rousey-esque judo based offense. Nunes has already proven that she can beat an elite judoka. However, Harrison is possibly as elite as a judoka could get. Her Olympic pedigree and versatile MMA skill-set makes her dangerous. However, she is unseasoned and Invicta is the best place for her to further develop. Ali Abdelaziz strikes again with a great move for one of his fighters.