Sean Strickland blasts Kayla Harrison for struggling with “low level” opponent at PFL 3: “Just reminds me why she’s not in the UFC”

By Christopher Taylor - May 7, 2022

UFC middleweight fighter Sean Strickland has blasted Kayla Harrison for her performance against Marina Mokhnatkina at PFL 3.

Sean Strickland, UFC, Kayla Harrison, PFL

Harrison (13-0 MMA) squared off with Mokhnatkina (6-3 MMA) in the headliner of last night’s Professional Fighters League event in Arlington.

The three round matchup went the distance, with the former two-time Olympic Gold medalist earning a unanimous decision victory. While Harrison was able to keep her perfect record intact last night, it was far from her best showing.

UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland was clearly watching last night’s PFL action and couldn’t resist taking a shot at the highly touted women’s fighter.

Watching Kayla Harrison struggle with this low level girl just reminds me why she’s not in the UFC. Stay in the PFL take your easy W’s in the scrub league…”

For her part, Kayla Harrison was also disappointed with her performance at PFL 3. The judoka specialist shared the following words in her post-fight interview.

“I think it (my performance) was utter dog crap. Sorry to the fans. I wanted to put on a better show for all of you. These girls are tougher than you think. I make it look easy sometimes, but other nights not so much.”

Despite going to decision for the first time since 2019, Kayla Harrison is still extremely confident that she will win the 2022 PFL tournament.

“I’m not worried about it,” Harrison said in her post-fight news conference with media members (h/t MMAJunkie). “I just go out there (and) I do my job. I know that I’m going to make the playoffs. I know I’m going to win the tournament. I just put one foot in front of the other. Whoever said that the only certain things in life are death and taxes didn’t watch me in this tournament. Just give me my time: I’ll get in there and do what I do.”

As for Sean Strickland, the brash middleweight contender is expected to return at UFC 276 for a highly anticipated showdown with Alex Pereira.

Harrison has not yet responded to the criticism she received from Strickland.