Report: Julia Budd released after removal from 2023 PFL Championships

Julia Budd is no longer on the PFL roster.

The former Bellator champion was scheduled to compete against Kayla Harrison at 2023 PFL Championships on Nov. 24. According to an official press release from PFL, Budd (17-6 MMA, 2-3 PFL) “refused to fulfill her contractual obligation,” and was removed from the bout.

A day following the announcement of her removal from the fight against Harrison, PFL decided to cut ties with Budd. PFL CEO Peter Murray told MMA Fighting that Budd “did not sign her bout agreement, consistent with her contract.”

Budd, 40, debuted with PFL in 2021 and made five appearances total. After winning her first fight with the promotion against Kaitlin Young, Budd struggled in her next three fights, losing two unanimous decisions and one split.

In her last outing in June, Budd got back on track with a unanimous decision win over Martina Jindrova, which led to a matchup against Harrison that has since been scrapped. It was the second time that Budd and Harrison were scheduled to compete, but the fight set for last July fell apart due to an injury to Budd. Harrison will now face UFC veteran Aspen Ladd on short notice at 2023 PFL Championships.