MMA News: Why Kayla Harrison’s Best Bet Is To Stay With PFL

For the second straight season, Kayla Harrison captured the PFL women’s lightweight championship in dominating fashion.

The 31-year old Harrison, who has gone undefeated in all 12 of her professional mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts, finished all of her fights in the 2021 PFL Season, with victories over Mariana Morais and Cindy Dandois in the elimination round, a TKO win over Genah Fabian in the semifinals, and a submission win over Taylor Guardado in the finals to once again hoist the gold and the million-dollar cheque.

Heading into the season, Harrison herself knew that the PFL’s women’s 155-pound title was once again hers for the taking and that everything else was a formality.

With little doubt in anyone’s mind, Harrison delivered on the claim and joined an elite list of two-time PFL titleholders--one that includes the likes of Ray Cooper III, Lance Palmer, and Natan Schulte.

But while Harrison’s most recent conquest in PFL was once again the stuff of headlines in the MMA world, the biggest discussion surrounding the two-time Olympic gold medalist is what her next move will be.

The end of PFL’s 2021 campaign also marked the end of Harrison’s current contract with the league, effectively making her a free agent.

As such, quite a few big promotions are looking to acquire the services of one of the most dominant women in the sport today.

North American promotions such as Bellator and the UFC have all expressed interest in signing her, with the allure of matching her up against the likes of world champions such as Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes.

While there is indeed a lot of hype with those said promotions, perhaps Harrison’s best bet is to remain with the banner that pretty much made her a household name--and that’s the PFL.

Harrison’s professional MMA career is still quite young, and another run or two in the PFL would definitely help her with gaining even more experience.

While the Harrison may have already run through the current crop of 155-pounders in the league, PFL has already started beefing the division up, starting with the addition of former world champion Julia Budd, who already made her promotional debut at the 2021 PFL World Championship back in October.

Indeed, Harrison has a plethora of options in front of her and some very important decisions to make.

Wherever she decides to go, there is no doubt that her star will continue to rise.