Kayla Harrison News

Harry Kettle - April 23, 2025

UFC star Kayla Harrison has given her thoughts on Amanda Nunes potentially returning to mixed martial arts. Over the course of the last few years, Kayla Harrison has been on a path to greatness. In addition to her success in PFL, she’s been solid since arriving in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Now, she has her sights set on finally claiming gold as she prepares to collide with Julianna Pena for the bantamweight title.

Harry Kettle - April 21, 2025

UFC star Kayla Harrison has given her thoughts on Julianna Pena’s trash talk ahead of their big title fight at UFC 316. As we know, Kayla Harrison is set to challenge Julianna Pena for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship at UFC 316. It will serve as the culmination of a journey that has been years in the making for Kayla, who has always sought out a shot at a UFC title. Now, she’ll get it, and she’ll be going against a seasoned veteran in the form of two-time UFC champion Julianna Pena.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 15, 2025

Amanda Nunes appears to be heading for a return to the Octagon at some point, and she’d prefer to fight Kayla Harrison. Nunes retired from pro MMA competition after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Irene Aldana on June 10, 2023. Just 10 days later, the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship was vacated. The current titleholder is Nunes’ old foe Julianna Pena.

Harry Kettle - April 9, 2025

UFC star Kayla Harrison has admitted that she wants to be able to respect her upcoming UFC 316 opponent Julianna Pena. At UFC 316 later this year, Kayla Harrison will attempt to become a UFC world champion. She’ll do so by locking horns with Julianna Pena, a woman who she’s been linked with fighting for a long time now. When you take a look at the current state of women’s mixed martial arts, you could probably argue that this is one of the most intriguing – and certainly important – fights that can be made right now.

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.