PFL's Kayla Harrison Stakes Claim For Top Pound-For-Pound Status

These days, there’s arguably no other women’s mixed martial arts (MMA) star that’s being talked about as much as Kayla Harrison.

The two-time Professional Fighters League (PFL) women’s lightweight champion has been the focus of many headlines in the world of MMA ever since her free agency back in the summer.

Would she remain with the PFL or would she try her luck in another promotion? That was the main question on every MMA fan’s mind.

Ultimately, Harrison decided to remain with PFL and will begin her quest for a historic third-consecutive run as the league’s 155-pound women’s champion when she makes her 2022 season debut at PFL 3 on Friday, May 6th.

While Harrison is currently signed with PFL for a multi-year deal, it looks as though she remains in the crosshairs of the champions from other organizations.

In recent days, UFC champion Juliana Peña and Bellator champion Cris Cyborg have both talked about a super-fight against Harrison.

For her part, Harrison has responded accordingly.

With all the attention that Harrison is getting, does the 31-year-old have a case for being the best women’s mixed martial artist in the world today?

No doubt, Harrison’s resume helps support that claim.

Prior to a career in MMA, Harrison was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, having taken top honors in judo at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Games.

Those are apart from multiple medals in the world championships and Pan-American competitions.

When Harrison finally made the jump to MMA in 2018, she continued her reign of dominance, winning her first three fights under the PFL banner by stoppage.

In 2019, Harrison was the cornerstone of PFL’s inaugural women’s lightweight tournament and blasted through the competition to become the league’s first female titleholder.

In between the 2019 and 2021 PFL seasons, Harrison made her debut outside of PFL, taking on Courtney King in a featherweight bout under the Invicta FC umbrella.

To nobody’s surprise, Harrison demolished King in two rounds to win by TKO.

Harrison’s dominant win over King set the tone for her 2021 PFL season as she once again tore through PFL’s 155-pound division en route to her second-straight crown.

To make her campaign even more dominant, Harrison defeated all of her opponents by stoppage, with nobody making it past the second round.

This season, Harrison returns, once again the odds-on favorite to win it all.

Should Harrison pull the feat off, she would be the league’s only three-peat champion, and that would definitely raise her stock even higher than it already is.

It would also make the potential fights against other champions even more intriguing.

If Harrison can become a three-time PFL champion in a dominant fashion, it’s arguable that she can leverage PFL to arrange cross-promotional matchups against the likes of Bellator and maybe even the UFC.

While it may be seen as a long shot, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

For Harrison to lay claim to being the best in the world, she’ll need to beat the others in the running for the distinction and who knows what can happen in a few months’ time.