PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis doesn’t seem to appreciate Bellator president Scott Coker’s implication about the league in the wake of re-signing top star Kayla Harrison.
After months of speculation, Harrison’s free agency finally came to an end this week after she signed a new multiyear contract to return to the PFL. Bellator, along with the UFC, bid for Harrison’s services, but it was Bellator that made the strongest push with a lucrative offer that Harrison accepted. However, the PFL had the right to match any offers, and it did, which is why Harrison will remain with the promotion.
Coker was eager to make a super fight between two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion Harrison and Bellator featherweight champ Cris Cyborg. With Harrison re-joining PFL, Coker expressed disappointment and questioned what the PFL had to offer her in terms of intriguing matchups.
“With Kayla right now, I don’t know who she’s gonna fight over there,” Coker told MMA Junkie Radio this week. “She’s got to fight the girls that are the dominant girls in that weight class, (who) are Cyborg, to me the greatest female fighter of all time, Amanda Nunes, and then Kayla. She’s growing, she’s doing very well, but she’s got to fight somebody to really showcase that she has that ability to fight at that elite level.”
Those words caught the attention of Davis, who clapped back at Coker on Twitter with a proposal.
Hey @ScottCoker … who is @criscyborg fighting over there at @BellatorMMA?
To settle this nonsense:
Kayla vs. Cyborg
Loser pays event production costs@PFLMMA is IN … @KaylaH is IN
What about Bellator and Cyborg?https://t.co/6j5JIUFeJ0
— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) March 11, 2022
Hey @ScottCoker … who is @criscyborg fighting over there at @BellatorMMA?
To settle this nonsense:
Kayla vs. Cyborg
Loser pays event production costs
@PFLMMA is IN … @KaylaH is IN
What about Bellator and Cyborg?
How feasible is a cross-promotion between the PFL and Bellator? That’s hard to say, although it’s not out of the question.
For starters, Coker and Bellator have cross-promoted before with Rizin FF, allowing Darrion Caldwell, Patricky Pitbull and Patchy Mix to fight for the Japanese promotion. Kyoji Horiguchi, while he was still Rizin FF bantamweight champion, fought in Bellator and won its title.
As part of its announcement re-signing Harrison, the PFL said it is “launching a new pay-per-view Super Fight Division where star MMA fighters will compete on a global stage against the best fighters in the sport.” There are no details as to what this means, but Harrison vs. Cyborg would be considered one of the biggest fights in women’s MMA history.
Cyborg, who’s also held titles in the UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC, is set to defend her Bellator crown in a rematch with Arlene Blencowe next month in Honolulu.
Harrison, meanwhile, will make a run at her third consecutive PFL women’s lightweight title. The two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka is 12-0 in MMA and has run through the league in her first two seasons.
