Kayla Harrison inks multi-year deal with the PFL ahead of 2022 season

Two-time PFL lightweight tournament victor, Kayla Harrison has officially inked a new multi-year deal with the organization ahead of the beginning of the 2022 season format in April. 

Confirming Harrison’s signing in a promo video released on their official Twitter account, the PFL (Professional Fighters League) once again pen the undefeated wrestling ace to a multi-year deal following much speculation regarding her future.

“Surprise Surprise… The Queen is Back @KaylaH (Kayla Harrison)”

Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo, struck gold at both the London 2012 summer games and then the Rio de Janeiro 2016 summer games, and boasts an undefeated 12-0 professional record.

The 31-year-old has competed under the PFL banner since June 2018, representing the organization during a one-off appearance at Invicta FC 43 in November 2020 – stopping Cortney King with ground strikes.

A two-time lightweight tournament victor in back-to-back tournaments in 2019 and 2021, Harrison most recently completed her contractual obligations with the promotion back in October where she landed a second round armbar win over finalist, Taylor Guardado to win the 2021 instalment of the tournament. 

The victory followed three prior wins last year, including a trio of dominant stoppages over Genah Fabian, Cindy Dandois, and Mariana Morais. 

During her period of free agency since October, Harrison had been linked with a slew of potential moves, including a transition to the UFC ahead of a potential featherweight title outing against former American Top Team teammate, Amanda Nunes.

Harrison was also linked with a move to Bellator MMA in another featherweight title outing – this time against division queen, Cris Cyborg, however, PFL retained matching rights to Harrison, and matched an offer previously tabled by the Scott Coker-led organization. 

Harrison defeated both Bobbi Jo Dalziel, and UFC alum, Larissa Pacheco en route to the 2019 PFL lightweight tournament victory.

Ross Markey

Senior writer for FightBook MMA. An aspiring mixed martial arts reporter based in Ireland. Producer of news articles, interviews, opinion features, and exclusive features such as, ‘The Fallout’, ‘The Breakdown, and, ‘This Week In MMA’.