“A new era of MMA” – Kayla Harrison shares her excitement for the future following PFL’s acquisition of rival Bellator
MMA fighter and Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison has weighed in on the new deal between PFL and Bellator.
The 33-year-old recently made an appearance on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour. At one point during the interview, Harrison was asked for her thoughts on the PFL's acquisition of rival fight promotion Bellator.
The Olympic gold medalist shared her excitement at the news and spoke about the newly added fighters to the PFL roster:
"I mean I'm excited. I think this is a new era of MMA. I'm excited for the PFL, they just got, you know, a ridiculous amount of talent overnight added to their roster. So, I think it's gonna be great. I'm excited to see how they navigate it and what they do with it and yeah, should be good," said Kayla Harrison.
Check out her comments from the 1:12:15 mark below:
When the news of the PFL - Bellator deal broke, many started wondering about the future of the fighters in the two promotions.
PFL founder Donn Davis also recently appeared on The MMA Hour to provide clarity on the situation. Davis shared that all Bellator fighters will become a part of the PFL under the acquisition deal and will have a choice to either participate in the tournament format or one-off events:
"Whether you're a Bellator fighter or PFL fighter, you're all now PFL fighters. You're all in the pool...We'll talk to managers and fighters and say, 'What's the best product for you? And what's the best product for fans?' They'll either fight twice a year...Or you'll fight in the PFL league season, your choice."
Check out the full interview below:
PFL - Bellator deal: Could the Kayla Harrison vs. Cris Cyborg matchup finally become a reality?
Kayla Harrison is set to return to action at the upcoming PFL championship event on November 24. The 33-year-old will lock horns against Aspen Ladd in a 150-pound catchweight bout.
But the fight MMA fans have been yearning for for years is Kayla Harrison vs. Cris Cyborg. With PFL's acquisition of Bellator, the fantasy matchup might soon become a reality.
During her appearance on The MMA Hour, Harrison mentioned that a scrap against Cyborg felt closer than ever, and thus, she refused to talk about it to not jinx it.