A few hours ago Dana White announced that the UFC had signed Kayla Harrison and that she will join the UFC 300 line-up, an event in which she will face former bantamweight champion Holly Holm.
The fighter was a free agent, but her signing is a coup for the UFC, as it prevents her from returning to a major rival promotion like PFL. In short, it ‘snatches’ one of its main female assets, who had always competed under the PFL umbrella.
The 33-year-old American comes in with a 16-1 MMA record and is a two-time PFL lightweight champion. Her only loss came in 2022 to Larissa Pacheco and was by unanimous decision.
Her last fight was in November last year and she beat Aspen Ladd by decision. Harrison comes in big against Holm, and a win would immediately rank her highly in her division.
Kayla is considered an American judo legend, having become the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport for her country. She achieved the milestone at the London 2012 Games in the 78kg category, and then retained the title at Rio 2016.
She was also world champion in 2010 and has a record of major medals in all kinds of championships. During her judo career she shared a floor and many experiences with Ronda Rousey, for many years a UFC star.
The abuse problem with her coach
Harrison had a traumatic experience as a teenager. Her judo coach at the time, Daniel Doyle, who was also a supposed family friend, had an abusive relationship with her when she was between 13 and 16 years old.
For years, he deceived and tricked her with false promises. The relationship was exposed when the former Olympian told a friend, who in turn told Harrison‘s mother. Doyle was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
“I’m a victim, but I’m also a survivor,” Kayla told CNN.
“The dream of being an Olympic champion, and the strong people around me helped me through my darkest moment.”
She adopted her nephews
There was another chapter in Harrison‘s life that was also much talked about a few years ago. In 2021, she officially adopted her niece Kyla, nine, and nephew Emery, three, although they had been with her for just over a year.
Their stepfather had passed away and Kayla‘s mother had taken care of the children. A month before winning the 2019 PFL title – and the 1-million-dollar prize – his mother suffered a stroke and Harrison stepped forward.