PFL

Is Kayla Harrison UFC bound?

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MMA, PFL

We are getting closer and closer to finding out where Kayla Harrison (12-0) will be fighting next and it could be the UFC. Harrison attended UFC 269 this past weekend where she watched Amanda Nunes take on Julianna Pena.

While Harrison is teammates with Nunes, the general thought was that Harrison could face Nunes at featherweight should Nunes get past Pena. This would be a superfight for women’s MMA and the UFC was very interested in making it happen.

Harrison was in the front row and even received camera treatment from the promotion. However, a giant wrench was thrown into the plans when Julianna Pena did the unthinkable and submitted Amanda Nunes in the second round of their fight.

A visibly upset Kayla Harrison was seen in the front row following the result. After UFC 269, Dana White said that a potential matchup between Harrison and Nunes would’ve been a massive fight that they were interested in making.

However, given the result, the fight has lost a little luster. Now, Nunes is going to be faced with some questions. Dana White acknowledged that the UFC was in talks with Harrison and he acknowledged it with a smile.

Harrison also said at the MMA awards last week that the UFC took her out to dinner and was recruiting her over.

Is she UFC bound?

Harrison became a superstar under the PFL banner. The former Olympic Gold Medalist has spent the majority of her career with PFL and she is a two-time PFL champion. The promotion is desperately wanting to bring her back.

However, the competition is stiff. Bellator is also interested in bringing Harrison in for a potential superfight with Cris Cyborg. When Cyborg won her last fight, Harrison was in the front row and also got the camera treatment from Bellator.

At first, the UFC seemed on the outside in terms of the interest in Harrison. However, that has changed dramatically over the last week or so. The UFC now appears to be going after Harrison hard and it’s clear why.

Kayla Harrison has superstar written all over her. The UFC is the biggest stage and they can take her to the next level in terms of her career. However, the biggest money fight isn’t as big as it was just days ago.

Nunes is likely going to face off against Julianna Pena again. Perhaps the UFC signs Harrison and books her on the undercard of that PPV. If they both win, people can chalk up this Nunes loss as overconfidence and not being prepared enough.

If Nunes regains her status as double champ and Harrison dazzles in her UFC debut, the fight once again becomes incredibly interesting. While all promotion’s are interested, I definitely think the UFC has the inside track as of now.

After UFC release, what’s next for Kevin Lee?

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Today there was stunning news in the UFC. Former interim title challenger and top lightweight contender Kevin Lee (18-7) was released by the promotion. MMA Fighting was the first to report the release earlier this afternoon.

The news seemingly came out of no where. Recently, we learned that Lee was given a suspension for taking ADHD medication. The offense gave Lee a six month suspension that he’s currently serving.

This suspension came on the heels of back to back losses for the Motown Phenom. A few years ago, Kevin Lee looked like he could become a star for the UFC. After Lee defeated Michael Chiesa, his stock really took off.

Lee was 16-2 and after having a verbal back and forth with Tony Ferguson, the UFC gave Lee an interim title shot against El Cucuy. When they fought at UFC 216, Lee started out doing very well.

However, he ultimately gassed and was submitted by Ferguson. Starting with that loss, Lee has gone 2-5 in his last seven fights. After the recent skid and the issues with USADA, the UFC decided to part ways.

After UFC release, what’s next for Lee?

As mentioned, the Lee release caught many off guard and you can imagine that the former UFC title challenger will be a hot name on the free agent market. My guess is that Lee’s reps have already been reached out to by Bellator and PFL.

Lee’s brother currently fights for Bellator so that could be a spot for him. However, I think we might end up seeing Lee join the PFL. There’s no inside information here, it’s simply a hunch.

The PFL has been really trying to add to their lightweight division over the past couple of years. Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis signing with them sent waves throughout MMA.

I can really see PFL going hard after Lee to try and secure him for their 2022 lightweight season. By the time the season rolls around, Lee’s suspension will be up and he will be ready to fight.

After second PFL championship, Kayla Harrison has to decide between money and legacy

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MMA, PFL

Last night at the PFL championships, Kayla Harrison (12-0) ran through Taylor Guardado (3-2) and submitted her in the second round. With the win, Harrison remained perfect and captured her second consecutive PFL championship.

Immediately after the fight was over, the focus shifted to where Harrison will fight her next fight. Earlier this week, we talked about the options that Harrison will have in front of her. She will hear from the UFC and she will hear from Bellator.

Bellator would love to put on the dream fight between Harrison and Cris Cyborg. Meanwhile, the UFC is the premier organization in mixed martial arts and it’s hard to be considered the best ever having not competed on the biggest MMA stage.

Then of course there’s the PFL. The organization that has been behind Harrison from the very beginning and has done everything in their power to make her a superstar. PFL is going to do everything in their power to keep her, but will it be enough?

After the PFL championships last night, Harrison was asked about what her deciding factor will be when it comes to deciding her next destination. Will her decision be about money or will it be about legacy?

Will Harrison stay with PFL?

If the decision comes down to the dollars, I think Harrison is going to stay with PFL. Bellator might make a very competitive offer, but in the end, I can’t see PFL getting outbid for Harrison. They’ve invest so much in her and I think they fully intend on staying in the Kayla Harrison business.

Then there’s the UFC. Just like Michael Chandler discovered, the UFC is not going to give her the highest dollar amount. However, what the UFC can offer Harrison is so much greater than Bellator and PFL.

The exposure and stature that Harrison can achieve in the UFC is unmatched. Even with a shallow featherweight division. Chandler has spoken at length at how much bigger he is now that he’s with the UFC and he’s considered to be one of the best fighters in Bellator history.

The star appeal and the goat appeal that the UFC can offer can’t be matched. However, Harrison might not care about that at the end of the day. She has to do the best thing for her family and that’s what makes this decision so intriguing for fans.

If I had to put money on it, I think that Harrison is going to end up deciding between Bellator and PFL. I think those two will present the best offers from a financial standpoint in the short-term. If I’m going with my gut, I have a feeling that Harrison will jump to Bellator to fight Cris Cyborg.

Wouldn’t be shocked at all to see a PFL reunion, but for Kayla Harrison, PFL might be a “Been there, done that.” There’s nothing left for her to accomplish there which means it might be time for a new chapter.

PFL’s mistake with Claressa Shields

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PFL made huge waves last year when they signed Claressa Shields (1-1 MMA) to an exclusive contract for MMA. Shields is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in boxing and she’s won a number of world titles in her professional boxing career.

The 26 year old Shields wanted to challenge herself and she decided that she wanted to become a two-sport world champion. She had already climbed to the top of boxing and now she wanted to do the same in MMA.

PFL jumped at the opportunity and signed Shields to a deal at the end of last year. Shields wasn’t going to compete in the 2021 season, but she was going to compete and fight a couple of times. PFL gave her two fights this year.

The first matchup was against Brittney Elkin (3-7) back in June. Now, you’d think a 3-6 fighter at the time would be a good first step for Shields. However, it wasn’t a great decision when you factor in the kind of fighter that Elkin was.

Elkin was known for her skills on the mat and mostly dominated the first couple of rounds against Shields in the boxer’s first MMA fight. However, in the third round, Shields was able to defend the takedown and got a TKO win at PFL 4.

PFL’s Mistake

After her first win, PFL got to work on booking Shields’ second fight. Her second fight took place last night against Abigail Montes (2-0). Montes was making her debut with PFL but she walked in with a perfect record. In her two fights, she had shown really good wrestling and ground control.

The first round of last night’s matchup was pretty uneventful. Shields landed some decent shots, but Montes spent the majority of the round leaning Shields up against the cage trying to get a takedown. The next two rounds didn’t go well for Shields.

While the second round was mostly competitive, a takedown and good amount of control sealed the round for Montes. The third round was dominated by Montes who landed a takedown and finished the round in mount while raining down punches.

One judge somehow scored the fight for Shields, but the other two got it right and Montes picked up the win handing Claressa Shields her first professional loss in combat sports. With the loss, you have to think about the missed opportunity PFL had with Shields.

Both fighters that they gave her to start her MMA career were more grappling-first type of fighters. I don’t understand the logic behind the decision. If you wanted Shields to blossom into a star, you give her someone that will strike with her so she can show off her talent.

Eventually, she will have to face a grappler, but rushing her in against grapplers right away just is a massive miscalculation in my opinion. Shields is young enough and talented enough to overcome this and retrieve some of her mystique. However, after these first two performances, the luster is mostly gone for ‘The GWOAT’ in MMA and it’s not on her.

PFL CEO slams UFC and Dana White ahead of potential bidding for Kayla Harrison

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Tomorrow night, the PFL Championship event is being headlined by the biggest name in the promotion, Kayla Harrison (11-0). The two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time defending PFL lightweight champion will look to capture her third championship.

Standing in her way is Taylor Guardado (3-1) who was also perfect in the 2021 PFL season. However, little to no one is giving her a chance to defeat Harrison tomorrow. In fact, most aren’t expecting her to even last a round with Harrison.

Harrison is also fighting the final fight on her PFL contract tomorrow night. Once the championship match is over, all eyes will turn to her free agency. Bellator and the UFC will definitely come calling as Harrison is already one of the best to ever do it.

With Bellator, there’s the potential matchup with Cris Cyborg and with the UFC, there’s the potential fight with the GOAT, Amanda Nunes. The UFC President is very familiar with Harrison, but he issued some advice to Harrison with her free agency looming.

White suggested that Harrison stay in PFL where she can make a lot of money while beating no one of significance. Suggesting that the UFC might be too much. Harrison responded this week saying she will prove to White that she’s the greatest fighter of all time.

PFL CEO Slams UFC

These comments from White caught the eye of PFL CEO Donn Davis. Let’s just say that Davis didn’t take too kindly to the comments from White and told MMA Fighting today that at PFL, the stars are the fighters and not the promoter.

Davis said, “I think that’s what they do in the UFC. They do two things: They try to put fighters down to increase their leverage, and they try to make it all about them and not the fighters. We don’t do that here. We know the fighters are the stars, not the promoter. They forget that. The fighters are the stars, not the promoter.”

Davis went on to say that in the PFL, they just let the fighting do the talking and skip all the politics. In a way, he’s not wrong. When you fight in the PFL, you are controlling your own destiny with the way you fight and if you win, you will advance.

However, there’s also some major drawbacks to this style like losing out on seeing fights that everyone wants to see. A major fight could be derailed if one of the two were to lose in an opening round matchup. On the other hand, that’s an aspect that also makes PFL intriguing.

PFL is doing their part to try and increase the competition level for Harrison. They’ve signed Claressa Shields and Julia Budd in the last year for the lightweight and featherweight division. Harrison has made it clear that her goal is to be the greatest of all time and competition fuels her.

I’m incredibly intrigued to see what happens with Harrison’s free agency. PFL will likely bring forth the most money, however, they won’t bring the best competition given the current landscape. So will Harrison take the money or will she go the route of Michael Chandler and go for legacy? Time will tell.

Free agency looms for Kayla Harrison ahead of PFL Finals

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MMA, PFL

Tomorrow night in the main event of PFL‘s tenth event of the 2021 season, we will see the finals for the women’s lightweight division. The massive favorite, Kayla Harrison (11-0), will look to remain perfect and pick up her third straight PFL championship.

Standing in her way is Taylor Guardado (3-1) who will be looking to pick up the massive upset. Guardado lost her professional debut last year, but a perfect PFL season at 3-0 has earned her a spot in the finals against the Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time PFL champion.

While Guardado is a good opponent, there’s more focus on what comes after the fight for Kayla Harrison. No disrespect to Guardado, but I can’t see any scenario where Harrison walks out of the cage tomorrow night without capturing her third PFL championship.

That is the general consensus in the MMA community which is why the focus of this week is about what comes next. Once the PFL finals are over tomorrow night, Kayla Harrison is officially a free agent and she’s the best female free agent MMA has ever seen.

Will Harrison stay with PFL?

Harrison has competed at 155 pounds for the entirety of her career with PFL. However, last year, she cut down to 145 pounds to show the world that she’s very capable of making the featherweight limit which opens the doors for a couple of superfights.

PFL is obviously wanting to retain her and they’re trying to make the promotion even more attractive from a competition standpoint. They recently signed Julia Budd (15-3) and Budd will be making her debut tomorrow night for the promotion. Budd was a longstanding champion in Bellator.

Speaking of Bellator, they will be calling Harrison with the dream of Harrison fighting one of the greatest of all time in Cris Cyborg (24-2). Harrison has always wanted to fight Cyborg and was frustrated when PFL didn’t sign her following her release from the UFC.

And speaking of the UFC, that is where the biggest fight of all is. The fight I’m referring to would pair Harrison against her teammate and the greatest female fighter of all time, Amanda Nunes (21-4). Nunes is the two-division UFC champion who is widely considered to be the best ever.

Harrison wants the world to view her as the greatest of all time. She told the media this week that she’s going to be following some comments from UFC president Dana White who advised her to stay with PFL and continue beating up on less competition.

Harrison took the comments in stride as she knows the game. The PFL champion knows the game and she knows how to play it. Where she ends up signing will be one of the biggest MMA storylines between tomorrow night and the end of 2021.

PFL women’s lightweight and heavyweight finals set

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MMA, PFL

Tonight, the PFL was back with their second playoff card of the 2021 season. The women’s lightweight division and heavyweight division took center stage this evening. In the main event, Kayla Harrison (10-0) took on Genah Fabian (4-1).

Harrison was the massive betting favorite heading into the 2021 PFL season and she made it look easy through her first two fights. She completely dominated her first two fights. Genah Fabian was looking to play spoiler by pulling off the massive upset.

However, it was not meant to be. Harrison did her thing and in the first round, she was able to take Fabian down. Once the fight was on the ground, it was simply a matter of time.

Harrison immediately transitioned to the mount and started brutalizing Fabian. Fabian gave up her back and Harrison rained down shots until the referee stopped the fight. Another dominant performance from Kayla Harrison.

In the other PFL lightweight semifinal, we saw Mariana Morais (17-11) take on Taylor Guardado (2-1). Originally, Larissa Pacheco was supposed to fight Guardado, but Morais stepped in after Pacheco missed weight.

The fight was very competitive between these two. Guardado did a good job with her pressure and landed some really solid shots in the first couple of rounds. Morais was able to use her judo to secure top position in the first and the third round.

The last two rounds were very easy to score with Guardado taking the second and Morais taking the third. The first round was incredibly close. Guardado landed the better shots while Morais secured a takedown. Ultimately, two of the three judges gave the fight to Guardado and she will now take on Kayla Harrison in the PFL finals.

PFL Heavyweight Finale Set

In addition to the women’s lightweight playoffs, we also saw the heavyweights battle it out for a spot in the PFL finals. In the first heavyweight semifinal matchup we saw the 2 and 3 seed go head-to-head as Russia’s Denis Goltsov (27-6) took on Croatia’s Ante Delija (18-4).

Heading into this matchup, Goltsov was a significant favorite. Delija was just 1-1 leading into the playoffs, and nobody was giving him much of a chance. However, he came to play spoiler tonight at PFL 8.

In the first two rounds, Goltsov was really controlling the first half of the round. However, Delija ended up on top to finish both rounds. In the first round, he controlled Goltsov for a significant portion of the round.

The third round was all Delija as he got an early takedown and controlled Goltsov. In the end, all three judges gave the fight to Delija as he pulled the upset and clinched a spot in the PFL finals.

Delija then sat back and watched Bruno Cappelozza (12-5) take on Jamelle Jones (12-6) in the other semifinal matchup. Cappelozza was another big favorite as the top overall seed after scoring two first round finishes. Jones was going to look to be the spoiler in this one.

However, it was evident from the opening minute that he was going to have his hands full. Cappelozza controlled the striking at range and showed off a big speed advantage in his matchup with Jones.

In the second round, a stiff left straight from Cappelozza put Jones down and he followed up to end the fight. Bruno Cappelozza will not take on Ante Delija in the PFL finals.

PFL Playoffs Preview: Heavyweights and Women’s Lightweight take center stage

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Tonight, the PFL returns for the second playoff event of 2021. Last week, we saw the men’s lightweight and welterweight playoffs with two finale matchups booked. Tonight, it’s the women’s lightweight division and the heavyweight division that will take center stage.

Before previewing tonight’s PFL playoff action, there is one important note. The top seed in the women’s lightweight bracket has been pulled from the event. Larissa Pacheco (15-4) started her PFL season with two first round knockouts. She appeared to be on a collision course with Kayla Harrison (10-0).

However, Pacheco missed weight by two pounds and was pulled from the PFL playoffs. Mariana Morais (17-11) now steps in for Pacheco and will take on Taylor Guardado (2-1) in the first semifinal matchup. Of course, all eyes are going to be on the main event and the second lightweight semifinal matchup.

That matchup features the two-time PFL champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Kayla Harrison. Harrison has stormed through all of her competition in her ten professional fights. Standing across from her tonight is Genah Fabian (4-1). Fabian is 2-0 with one finish thus far in the 2021 season.

PFL Heavyweights and Predictions

The other PFL playoff matchups feature the promotion’s heavyweight. The featured semifinal matchup pairs together Bruno Cappelozza (12-5) and Jamelle Jones (12-6). Cappelozza earned the top seed with two first round knockouts this year.

Jones was able to get into the playoffs while only having competed once in the 2021 PFL season. In his one performance, he was able to score a first round stoppage over Klidson Abreu back in June.

In the other PFL semifinal we have a matchup between two European heavyweights. Russia’s Denis Goltsov (27-6) takes on Croatia’s Ante Delija (18-4). Delija went 1-1 this season with a loss to Cappelozza while Goltsov went a perfect 2-0.

We should be in for a tremendous night of fights in the PFL playoffs.

Official Predictions: 

  • Kayla Harrison – Genah Fabian – Harrison by TKO (Round 1)
  • Bruno Cappelozza – Jamelle Jones – Cappelozza by TKO (Round 2)
  • Taylor Guardado – Mariana Morais – Morais by Decision
  • Denis Goltsov – Ante Delija – Goltsov by TKO (Round 1)

PFL 7 Preview: Welterweight and Lightweight playoffs begin tonight

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Tonight the PFL is back with their seventh event of 2021 and the playoffs begin tonight. It will be the welterweights and lightweights that will take center stage tonight as four men look to punch their ticket to the finals and one step closer to one million dollars.

In the main event of the evening, former Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald (22-7-1) will be taking on former PFL champion Ray Cooper III (22-7-1). This is the welterweight matchup we were hoping to see out of this PFL season.

That said, nobody thought we’d see it in the semifinals. MacDonald was the victim of a horrific decision against Gleison Tibau back at PFL 5 which robbed him of a higher seed. Had MacDonald won that fight, he could’ve met Cooper III in the finals.

Instead, we see it in the semis. Cooper III has been dominant so far with two wins including a first round submission thus far in the 2021 PFL season. Whoever wins this matchup tonight could be the favorite heading into the finals.

The other semifinal matchup features former PFL champion Magomed Magomedkerimov (28-5) taking on Sadibou Sy (9-5-2, 1 NC). Magomedkerimov has never lost under the PFL banner and he’s the big favorite to get it done tonight against Sadibou Sy. Sy is just 3-3, 1 NC in seven career PFL bouts.

PFL Lightweight Playoffs

Opening up the featured card on ESPN is the two lightweight semifinal matchups. The popular Clay Collard (20-8) takes on Raush Manfio (13-3) in one of the matchups. Both of these men have shared the same two opponents thus far in the 2021 season.

Collard and Manfio have decision wins over Anthony Pettis and Joilton Lutterbach. Both of Manfio’s wins were by split decision while Collard was able to get a unanimous decision over Anthony Pettis.

This is a tremendous matchup and is likely to gain a lot of attention at PFL 7. The other lightweight semifinal actually features a rematch from the first PFL event of 2021.

Alex Martinez (8-1) will be taking on Loik Radzhabov (14-3-1). Martinez picked up the split decision back at PFL 1 and Radzhabov bounced back to defeat Akhmed Aliev by first round knockout at PFL 4.

Alex Martinez lost his first professional fight in his last appearance by dropping a split decision to Natan Schulte. That said, despite both men being 1-1, they’ve both secured a spot in the semifinals tonight.

Playoff Predictions

  • Rory MacDonald vs Ray Cooper III – Cooper III by Unanimous Decision
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov vs Sadibou Sy – Magomedkerimov by Unanimous Decision
  • Clay Collard vs Rausch Manfio – Collard by Unanimous Decision
  • Alex Martinez vs Loik Radzhabov – Martinez by Split Decision

PFL books Claressa Shields – Abigail Montes

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The greatest female boxer in the world has her next PFL fight set. Today, the promotion announced that Claressa Shields (1-0) will be returning to the cage this fall. Shields will be taking on Abigail Montes (2-0) in her next matchup.

The two ladies will square off at the PFL Championship event that is scheduled for Wednesday, October 27th. Shields will be making her second appearance for PFL and she’s hoping for an easier outing this time around.

That said, she’s not getting an easy fight in her next matchup. Abigail Montes is very young in her career just like Shields is. Montes just competed in her second professional MMA fight back in April when she got a TKO victory.

This will be her first fight with PFL. In her two wins thus far, Montes has shown good ground skills and some pretty decent kickboxing. Granted, competition needs to be taken into consideration here.

Second PFL appearance for ‘The GWOAT’

When Shields makes the walk on October 27th, it will be her third combat sports event of the year in 2021. Back in March, Shields defeated Mare Eve Dicaire by unanimous decision to win another world title in boxing.

After that victory, Shields shifted her focus towards her MMA debut with PFL. Shields made her debut back in June when she took on Brittney Elkin. Elkin entered the contest at just 3-6 professionally. However, Elkin was big and she had a jiu jitsu brown belt.

The first two rounds really showed Shields’ inexperience. While Shields had a couple of moments of success on the feet, Elkin was able to get the fight to the ground and control her at PFL 4.

In the third round, Shields was going to need a finish and that’s what she got. After hurting Elkin on the feet, Shields was able to stuff a takedown and she ended up on top. Once on top, Shields rained down punches and elbows to get the finish.

You have to imagine that Shields has been continuously working on her ground skills and takedown defense leading into this next PFL matchup. If she can keep a fight standing, there’s virtually no woman in the world that can beat her. However, she’s got her work cut out for her in terms of keeping it standing.