SUMMARY
- Kayla Harrison is a former Judo World Champion who moved to MMA in 2018.
- She signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and continued to fight there until 2023.
Before joining UFC, Kayla Harrison started her MMA career in the Professional Fighters League (PFL). She was one of the most sought-after combat sports athletes when she was a free agent in 2022 but she re-signed with PFL.
After an extraordinary career in judo, in which she won two Olympic gold medals, Harrison moved to MMA. She joined PFL in 2018. At the time, reports suggest she was earning well over $100,000 per fight.
After fighting thrice in 2018, she fought five times in 2019. Per MMA Fighting and The Sports Daily, it was revealed that Harrison earned $125,000 as her salary at PFL 7. She earned a similar amount at PFL 10 but her victory on PFL 10 meant she won the PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament which helped her bag an extra $1 million.
Also, in 2019, Harrison signed a multi-year deal with PFL. Her manager, Ali Abdelaziz, according to ESPN, said the new deal will pay “seven figures per year” with or without the tournament win.
She won the tournament again in 2021, earning another $1 million over her per-match salary. In 2022, Harrison signed another multi-year deal with the PFL. According to several reports, she was earning $500,000 per fight through her new contract. She fought five times between 2022 and 2023 in the PFL and later moved to the UFC. According to reports, her net worth is close to $1.5 million.
Kayla Harrison went undefeated for her first 14 PFL fights
Harrison is a former world champion judoka. Like her former training partner Ronda Rousey, Harrison also made a move to MMA after her judo career.
She signed for PFL in 2018 and made her debut on PFL 2 against Brittney Elkin. She defeated Elkin via first-round submission. Harrison was unstoppable as she went on to win the 2019 PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament at PFL 10 by defeating runner-up Larissa Pacheco.
During the pandemic in 2020, Harrison made her promotional debut at Invicta FC 43. She won the fight and featured again in PFL in May 2021. In 2021, Harrison again triumphed at the PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament. She continued her winning streak and reached the final of the 2022 tournament as well.
Harrison faced her defeat against Larissa Pacheco
Harrison had twice got the better of Pacheco before in her career. However, in the final of the 2022 tournament, the Brazilian was not going to stand back. Pacheco put up a strong performance to win the fight via unanimous decision.
The Brazilian had faced only two losses in her career before meeting Harrison. The American added two more losses to her record but could not add a third. Pacheco went on to win the PFL Women’s Featherweight Tournament in 2023 as well.
Harrison, on the other hand, fought one more time in the PFL after her loss to Pacheco. She faced former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd at PFL 10 in November 2023 and won the fight via unanimous decision. As she left PFL, her pro MMA record was 16-1.