PFL Numero Uno Kayla Harrison Reveals the Ronda Rousey-UFC Factor That Deeply Haunts Her

Kayla Harrison is currently one of the best women’s pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Before entering the world of mixed martial arts, the former two-time PFL champion was a judoka who clinched gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Interestingly, her Olympic teammate, Ronda Rousey, has also gone out to become one of the best in the business. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Harrison expressed her desire to emulate the former UFC champion and revealed a major concern.

She said, “I look at Ronda [Rousey] and I look at what she achieved and I look at who she became and the star power that she had and the platform that she had and it’s hard…It’s hard to not be there yet.” 

Even after annihilating the top fighters from the Professional Fighters League, Harrison still believes that she has not done enough for her legacy. The probable reason behind this is that she has not booked fights against the bigger stars in the game.

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Kayla Harrison re-signs with PFL

Doug started out with PFL back when it was called the World Series of Fighting. After winning the lightweight tournament in 2021, MMA fans expected her to switch to Bellator or UFC to get fights against Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes. However, after PFL matched Bellator’s sizeable offer, they retained Kayla Harrison.

In the past, both UFC and Bellator offered Harrison lucrative deals, and the 31-year-old was looking for the best opportunity that would help her gain the most.

“Ultimately, the PFL had the right to match any contract I received. They stepped up in a big way,” Harrison told ESPN.

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Kayla Harrison’s days of free agency are over and soon she will have a fight on her horizon. She is indeed aiming for the best and MMA fans will expect her to continue her dominance in PFL.

What did you make of Harrison’s statements about Ronda Rousey and her return to PFL?