SUNRISE, Fla. – Kayla Harrison hasn’t fully given up hope of an eventual superfight against Cris Cyborg, but if it happens, it likely won’t be under the PFL’s banner.
Women’s featherweight champion Cyborg (26-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) re-signed with Bellator this past week in what the promotion called an “historic” deal. Terms were not disclosed. Cyborg most recently fought a little more than a year ago with a unanimous decision title defense against Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279.
After her contract was up, she decided to explore free agency. The months-long process is thought to have included all major promotions, including her former UFC home. But ultimately, she returned to Bellator, which took the possibility of a fight against Harrison (15-1) in the PFL out of the equation.
Instead of taking part in PFL’s women’s featherweight season, Harrison, a two-time $1 million season winner at lightweight, stayed out of the season and playoff format for 2023 hoping for a pay-per-view-level fight against someone like Cyborg.
“I know that the goal was for me to fight Cyborg,” Harrison told MMA Junkie this past Friday at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA. “I know that PFL pushed hard for that. That was my goal, as well. That’s why I have been quiet – haven’t really made a lot of noise. I wanted to be in the season, but I understood their reservations on that. And they really felt my best use would be in a big-name fight – a pay-per-view fight – and that looks like that’s not going to happen.
“I’m on God’s time. I’m not on my time. I’m in the gym every day. I’m getting better. I’m enjoying the process. I’m frustrated because I love what I do and I just want to go showcase it to the world. But I know that when the moment is right, I’ll shine.”
Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, said without a fight on the books, she’s been a little antsy. And she said her recently adopted kids have noticed, too.
But she said at the same time, she’s been figuring out how to use the down time to her advantage outside the cage – as well as when she eventually gets back inside it.
“I show up to the gym and I get in fist fights (at practice), but my kids are like, ‘Mom, ugh’ – like I’m overbearing,” Harrison said. “I’m trying to be Supermom and I spend a lot of time with my animals and my plants. I mean it: My life is pretty boring right now. But since I was 12 years old, I’ve been doing two-a-day (workouts).
“This is a different season of my life. This is an opportunity for me to grow as a mom, to grow as a fighter, to grow as a person, and I think that everything is better now. I do everything with joy. I cannot wait until my next fight, whoever it’s against, wherever it is, under whatever lights, whatever circumstance. I’m excited for my next fight. I’m enjoying the process and I can’t wait to go show the world what I’ve been working on.”
As far as the Cyborg fight, Harrison said she’s not throwing in the towel on the potential for it to happen. Now that she’s staying with Bellator, Cyborg will have a featherweight title defense likely against Cat Zingano later this year. After that, another former UFC title challenger, Sara McMann – like Harrison, an Olympic medalist, but in wrestling – is waiting in the wings.
But Harrison said at end of 2023, she can test the free agency market again – and hinted strongly at the possibility she could make her way to Bellator in 2024, where a fight with Cyborg would be tentpole event for the promotion, the same as it would be if it was for the PFL.
“I never say never,” Harrison said. “I had a lot of hope. I think that’s why I was a little bit bummed when she re-signed, because I thought it was going to happen. This is the second time in my life where I was like, ‘OK, this is happening. Get ready.’ And it didn’t happen. But I never say never.
“My contract’s up in December. Bellator knows where I’m at, and I would love to make that fight happen. I’m not talking sh*t anymore. I just want to fight her. That’s it. I want to fight the best. I want to test myself. I want to continue to grow as a human being and a fighter, and I think that she is a person who can push me to the next level. There’s no matching rights. There’s no exclusivity deal. There’s no 30 days, there’s no championship clause, there’s nothing. When my contract is up, my contract is up.”
If Harrison left the PFL for Bellator, she said it would be nothing personal and just a business decision.
“Listen, I love the PFL. They’ve been nothing but good to me. I have nothing but good things to say about them. I started my career with them. They have done an amazing thing in the space, in the sport. I believe in the format. I believe in the system. I do believe it should be performance based. And I want to fight the best. That’s it.”
