Kayla Harrison News

Josh Evanoff - March 21, 2025

With Julianna Pena on the shelf, Norma Dumont wants an interim UFC title fight against Kayla Harrison. It’s not exactly a secret that the UFC women’s bantamweight division has slowed to a crawl. Since 2022, there have been just four fights for 135-pound gold. Last October in Salt Lake City, Julianna Pena earned her second run with the title, scoring a controversial split-decision win over Raquel Pennington. Post-fight, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ called for a longshot trilogy bout against the still-retired Amanda Nunes. However, talks quickly shifted to Kayla Harrison.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 19, 2025

One ex-UFC contender doesn’t see Kayla Harrison fighting at 135 pounds for much longer. Harrison is rumored to be competing for Julianna Pena’s UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship at UFC 316 on June 7. Many believe Harrison will be a sizable favorite going into the matchup if that is indeed the plan. Harrison is riding a three-fight winning streak and she only has one lost in her pro MMA career.

Josh Evanoff - March 4, 2025

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena doesn’t care about the odds ahead of her fight against Kayla Harrison. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ has been out of the cage since her title fight against Raquel Pennington last October. In the co-main event of UFC 307, Julianna Pena ended a two-year layoff to hand ‘Rocky’ a split-decision loss. In the process, she re-won the same gold she lost to Amanda Nunes in their rematch.

Josh Evanoff - January 3, 2025

If Julianna Pena can’t fight, Norma Dumont wants to face Kayla Harrison for interim UFC gold. The UFC’s women’s bantamweight division is in a bit of a weird spot. Amanda Nunes famously vacated the gold in the summer of 2023, retiring following a decision win over Irene Aldana. A few months later, Raquel Pennington claimed the gold with a unanimous decision victory over Mayra Bueno Silva, in a dismal bout.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 1, 2024

Kayla Harrison won’t be calling for a showdown with Amanda Nunes just yet. Harrison appears to be in prime position to challenge for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. The current titleholder is Julianna Pena, who has called for a trilogy fight with Nunes.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 25, 2024

PFL Chairman Donn Davis has clarified his past comments on Kayla Harrison. Davis came under fire within the MMA community when he compared Harrison to NBA star Kevin Durant. Davis said that Harrison left PFL for the UFC because she’s a follower who needs validation.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 24, 2024

Kayla Harrison’s coach, Matt Brown, believes his fighter is bringing buzz back to the women’s bantamweight division. Since Amanda Nunes walked away from pro MMA competition, some feel the women’s 135-pound division has been missing a spark. More recently, Julianna Pena defeated Raquel Pennington to recapture the bantamweight gold. Fans have scoffed at the current state of the division, however.

Curtis Calhoun - October 15, 2024

Two-time PFL championship winner Kayla Harrison responded to founder Donn Davis’s ongoing attacks by shedding a small light on how the league treats its roster. Harrison is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 earlier this month. She’s 2-0 since signing with the UFC earlier this year, including a finish of former titleholder Holly Holm at UFC 300.

Curtis Calhoun - October 9, 2024

Two-time PFL champion Larissa Pacheco didn’t appreciate the league’s treatment of Kayla Harrison in a questionably timed fight promo ahead of her return. Pacheco will face Bellator Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg in the Battle of the Giants co-main event on October 19th. She returns to the cage for the first time since winning the 2023 PFL women’s featherweight title over Marina Mokhnatkina.

Harry Kettle - October 9, 2024

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen believes Raquel Pennington has earned the right to receive an immediate rematch against Julianna Pena. Last weekend, Raquel Pennington put up a great fight against Julianna Pena at UFC 307. She was defending her UFC women’s bantamweight championship but unfortunately, in the eyes of the judges, she didn’t quite do enough to get over the finish line.

Curtis Calhoun - October 8, 2024

UFC bantamweight contender Kayla Harrison responded to the PFL’s promotion of her lone career defeat to market one of their biggest stars. Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision at UFC 307 last Saturday in Salt Lake City. After defeating Vieira and remaining unbeaten in her UFC tenure, Harrison is likely next in line for the bantamweight title shot.

Curtis Calhoun - October 7, 2024

UFC bantamweight contender Kayla Harrison believes her absence from Julianna Peña’s post-fight callout at UFC 307 was calculated. Harrison and Peña both secured wins at UFC 307 last weekend in Salt Lake City. The former PFL champion Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision, while Peña earned a narrowly-decided win over Raquel Pennington to reclaim the UFC women’s bantamweight title.

Josh Evanoff - October 7, 2024

Kayla Harrison didn’t have a great training camp heading into her UFC 307 return. Earlier this year, the former Olympian suddenly left the PFL, in favor of the UFC. In her April debut, Kayla Harrison absolutely battered former champion Holly Holm en route to a second-round stoppage win. With the victory, she was instantly a top-five fighter. For her second octagon appearance, Harrison was matched up with Ketlen Vieira.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 7, 2024

Early odds for a potential title clash between Julianna Pena and Kayla Harrison have been revealed. Pena and Harrison were both featured on the UFC 307 card this past Saturday. “The Venezuelan Vixen” defeated Raquel Pennington in the co-headliner to become a two-time UFC women’s bantamweight champion. As for Harrison, she earned a unanimous decision victory over Ketlen Vieira.

Harry Kettle - October 7, 2024

UFC star Kayla Harrison has given her thoughts on her decision victory over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 last weekend. On Saturday night, Kayla Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision in Salt Lake City. While she may not have gotten the finish, the former PFL sensation did manage to carve out another solid win – likely setting herself up for a crack at the UFC women’s bantamweight championship in the process.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 6, 2024

Chael Sonnen believes Julianna Pena knew what she was doing by ignoring Kayla Harrison post-UFC 307. Pena stepped inside the Octagon to challenge Raquel Pennington for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship in Salt Lake City. Despite a two-year layoff, Pena was able to snatch a split decision victory. She is now a two-time women’s bantamweight titleholder.

Chris Taylor - October 5, 2024

Tonight’s UFC 307 main card lineup featured a highly anticipated women’s bantamweight bout between Kayla Harrison and Ketlen Vieira. Harrison (18-1 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since scoring a submission win over former champ Holly Holm in her Octagon debut at UFC 300. The former two-time Olympic Gold medalist was looking to stake her claim for a title shot with an impressive performance this evening.

Chris Taylor - October 5, 2024

We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC 307 results, including the women’s bantamweight bout between Kayla Harrison and Ketlen Vieira. Harrison (17-1 MMA) will be competing for the first time since scoring a submission win over former champ Holly Holm in her Octagon debut at UFC 300. The former two-time Olympic Gold medalist has only suffered one loss in her professional career, which came at the hands of Larissa Pacheco by way of decision in November of 2022.