Kayla Harrison calls out 'bad b**ch' Cris Cyborg following PFL win over Aspen Ladd, Bellator champ responds
Kayla Harrison has issued yet another call-out to longtime rival Cris Cyborg. Responding to it, Bellator's Cyborg took a jibe at the American MMA stalwart and Judo legend.
Harrison is the 2019 and 2021 PFL women's lightweight tournament winner and titleholder. She suffered the first defeat of her MMA career via unanimous decision against Larissa Pacheco in a lightweight bout in the PFL back in November 2022. She'd previously beaten Pacheco via unanimous decision twice in 2019.
Since her upset loss against Larissa Pacheco, many have been eagerly awaiting Kayla Harrison's return to the PFL cage. Harrison's much-anticipated comeback transpired at tonight's (November 24, 2023) PFL 10 event.
The 33-year-old Kayla Harrison fought former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd in a 150-pound catchweight bout and secured a dominant unanimous decision victory. Following her win against Ladd, the 2012 and 2016 Judo Olympic gold medalist turned her attention to Brazilian-American combat sports great Cris Cyborg.
During her in-cage post-fight interview at PFL 10, Harrison alluded to the fact that the PFL MMA organization recently acquired the Bellator MMA organization. On that note, she suggested that she'd like to fight Cyborg, who's the longtime Bellator women's featherweight champion. Without directly naming Cyborg, Harrison stated:
"I'm excited PFL just acquired Bellator. I heard there's a girl [Cyborg] in Bellator, who thinks she's a bad b**ch. Why don't we find out?"
Watch Harrison's in-cage post-fight interview below:
After Harrison's latest call-out, Cyborg took to X and responded to the same. The 38-year-old former Invicta FC, Strikeforce, and UFC women's featherweight champion seemingly criticized Harrison's usage of an expletive in her post-fight call-out. The current Bellator women's featherweight titleholder tweeted:
"I’m a women. Not a girl. Women don’t refer to themselves as b**ch. http://JudoKayla.Com You basic."
Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison: PFL's acquisition of Bellator MMA moves dream matchup closer to reality
For years, many in the MMA community have been lobbying for the Cris Cyborg vs Kayla Harrison dream showdown. Speaking of which, many believe that the Cyborg vs. Harrison fight could finally materialize in 2024, given that the PFL has acquired the Bellator MMA organization this year (2023).
In a recent edition of The MMA Hour, PFL founder Donn Davis indicated that following the acquisition, the current Bellator MMA fighters would be able to compete in the PFL. Ergo, the consensus is that Cris Cyborg, who's regarded as one of Bellator's biggest stars, will compete in the PFL cage soon.
Meanwhile, Harrison recently appeared on The MMA Hour and expressed her excitement about PFL's takeover of Bellator. She particularly emphasized that a number of intriguing matchups could be booked between PFL and Bellator stars.
Catch Harrison's assessment at the 1:12:15-minute mark below: