Kayla Harrison wanted to be a part of the PFL’s 2023 season, but thinks the promotion has other plans for her.
Two-time lightweight season winner Harrison (15-1) failed to win her third straight season when she was upset by Larissa Pacheco this past November in the 2022 PFL Championships main event.
The loss hit Harrison hard. Then the two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo said she was gearing up for the 2023 season when the PFL surprisingly decided to go a different direction with her.
“I wanted to be in the season,” Harrison said on The MMA Hour. “Of course I wanted to be in the season. The second the tournament was over, the second I lost, I wrote down my goals. I was like: ‘145-pound champ. Going to be in the season. Avenge my loss.’ I had all my key areas of focus, and that’s not in the cards for me. That’s not what they want to do. They want me to fight on the pay-per-view.
“I don’t know. I think I get paid a lot of money. I think that they feel like (the regular season and playoffs is) not the best way to utilize me. I think they want to put me on a pay-per-view card against a big name.”
Harrison admits she feels like she’s missing out on the season and doesn’t like being inactive on the sidelines.
“I’ve been a little bit depressed about it,” Harrison said. “It’s hard to watch something you helped build. No matter how awakened and peaceful I am, the world is still moving forward and I’m sitting right here. Sometimes that’s hard. I want to fight, I don’t just want to talk about fighting. I want to fight, so it’s frustrating.”
Kicking off the 2023 women’s lightweight season is 2022 PFL champion Pacheco, who faces Julia Budd in the PFL 2023, Week 2 headliner Friday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 2.