Harrison Expects 2022 To Be ‘Last Season’ With PFL

Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison has competed exclusively for Professional Fighters League (PFL) since crossing over to mixed martial arts (MMA) back in summer 2018 and along the way, captured a pair of lightweight tournament titles, which in addition to her fight purse, come with a bonus of $1 million.

Not too shabby.

But it sounds like the 32 year-old judo phenom is ready to lighten her load after the 2022 season to focus on “big fights.” Whether or not that includes co-promoted bouts with Bellator MMA (where this rival currently rules the roost) or leaving PFL for new opportunities in places like UFC remains to be seen.

“I want the big fights,” Harrison told MMA Underground. “I’ve been doing what you would call seasons … I’ve been training twice a day since I was 12 years old. So it’s been 20 years now of putting my body through the mill. I want the big fights. And if that means I have to be patient and wait and not compete in a season, then I’ll be patient and wait. It’s not about money. It’s about legacy, and it’s about testing myself against the best. So I think that this will probably be my last season.”

Harrison is undefeated at 14-0 with 11 finishes and is just two wins away from capturing her third consecutive PFL title. That journey continues against Martina Jindrova when the promotion heads to Copperbox Arena in London, England, on Aug. 20, a championship fight card that is expected to air stateside on ESPN.