Female athletes have quite often been overlooked in the past, being told that they’re not quite as good as their male counterparts. However, there are women all over the planet who are set out to prove them wrong, whether that be Fallon Sherrock being the first woman to make it to the knockout stages of the Grand Slam of Darts, or the likes of Megan Rapinoe who fought for equal pay for female footballers representing the USA.
One such female athlete who is trying to make her way in the world is Kayla Harrison, an MMA fighter who wants to become the best MMA fighter around, potentially surpassing Ronda Rousey. But can she be bigger than the former UFC Women’s champion? Can she join the list of inspirational women out there who are proving they can compete at the highest level of sport? Let’s take a look.
Whilst she may not be the youngest sports star in women’s sport right now, she is in her prime, meaning she has the world in front of her. But at a much younger age, over nine years ago, when she entered the history books at the Olympic Games in London 2012. What put her there? Well, she won the first Gold Medal by any American, yes that’s man or woman, in the history of the sport of Judo.
And this is where her speciality lies in MMA, having spent many years perfecting her craft in the martial arts. But since then, she has evolved her game to expand outside of Judo, and embraced additional fighting methods to allow her to round her game to give her the edge in different situations over her opponents.
One reason that Ronda Rousey was such a popular female figure was because of her ruthlessness in the octagon, and the fact she went so long unbeaten. When she finally did lose to Holly Holm, something many thought impossible at the time, she then left the UFC and pursued a career in professional wrestling, joining the WWE.
Kayla Harrison may not have had as many fights as Rousey yet, but she’s got off to a similar start, managing to go unbeaten early in her career. She’s only had twelve professional bouts so far, 11 of which she was signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL), but she has won every single one. With only two of those fights going the distance and coming down to the judges' decision, of which both were unanimous in her favor.
Her most recent fight saw her take on American Taylor Guardado, back on the 27th October, 2021. It was a fight she had trained hard for, and one that was also over quite quickly, as Harrison made Guardado tap out in the second round by getting her into an Armbar.
Well, Kayla Harrison, having won the Professional Fighters League tournament twice, on top of her two Gold Medals at the Olympics, is now a free agent. She could re-sign with the PFL and challenge for a third title, but if she really is determined to be the best, the biggest stage of them all is the UFC, and she was recently seen sitting front row at UFC 269, not a spot many fighters get unless they fight within the organisation, or are looking likely to join.
It may seem a strange one though, because not too long ago it seemed that Harrison couldn’t have been further off their radar. It was almost like they’d take her if they could get her, but they weren’t going to fight to sign her to the Ultimate Fighting Championships. But after her fight with Guardado which secured her second PFL championship, it seems the interest in her stepped up, because with her 12-0 record, and two MMA titles to her name, she now looked like good business.
There was discussion on the night about a fight between her and the then-UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes. But out of the blue and against the odds, she lost to Julianna Pena. Which could scupper the chances of Nunes and Harrison facing each other, because it is likely Nunes will want a rematch to claim her titles back, or that even Harrison could face Pena instead, going straight in there for a title shot.
There is also a chance though that Harrison could go to rival MMA promotion Bellator, where Cris Cyborg is the current champion. Both ties would be great fights for Harrison to prove her worth in MMA, and that she’s serious about becoming the best, but it is without doubt that both promotions will be looking to sign her to a multi-fight contract which could see her compete at one or the other for several years.
UFC is where the money is, but if she wants to make a name for herself, it’s sometimes easier at promotions such as Bellator, where you can more easily dominate and create headlines. Plus, the fight against Cyborg would arguably be more in her favour, as suggested MMA betting odds have Harrison as the +245 underdog against Nunes who is -290, but only as a +170 underdog to Cyborg who is backed with odds of -200.
Either way, whichever promotion she signs with, it should guarantee some excellent fights. But if she is wanting to waltz straight in with a shot at a women’s title, then Bellator is her best bet. Because it is more than likely that Nunes will be looking for a rematch with Pena to reclaim her belts, and that could delay the time it takes for Harrison to get the fight she wants. Where as she could potentially walk straight in and fight Cris Cyborg in her first bout for Bellator, and to walk in like that and just take the title, that’s the kind of move that’s going to see her becoming bigger than Ronda Rousey.
