"Maybe she's doing it better" - Ali Abdelaziz compares Kayla Harrison to Khabib Nurmagomedov; claims she is finishing fighters 'faster and more efficiently'
Kayla Harrison has stunned the mixed martial arts world with her fast rise up the ranks. Renowned MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has compared her dominance with that of his good friend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib lost only two rounds out of 60 in his MMA career, which ended with a record of 29-0. Harrison, meanwhile, has finished nine of her 11 fights, which includes seven first-round stoppages.
The 31-year-old was the women's lightweight champion in the 2019 season of the Professional Fighters League. During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Abdelaziz lauded Kayla Harrison and added that she might be performing better than 'The Eagle' right now.
"When you talk about Kayla Harrison, I think credential wise there's not man or woman ever come to the sport having her credentials. She's a two-time Olympic champion. She's a judo world champion and a PFL champion... She worked from all the way the bottom, she's up you know. Right now she's one of the biggest superstar in MMA. I truly believe she's the pound-for-pound the greatest female fighter on the planet today. I think Kayla Harrison can beat some of the guys... The last time we saw someone did this to people was Khabib and she does it more efficiently. She does it more faster. Maybe she's doing it better. She's finishing people in the first round."
Watch MMA Fighting's interview with Ali Abdelaziz below:
Harrison will fight for a fourth time in 2021 when she takes on Taylor Guardado in the women's lightweight tournament finals at PFL 10 on October 27.
Kayla Harrison could be the perfect opponent for Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes has dominated the women's bantamweight and featherweight divisions of the UFC for quite a while. She holds titles at both weights and has beaten almost every top challenger.
The 'Lioness' is running out of opponents, especially in the 145-pound division.
The odds for potential fights between Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg:
Amanda Nunes vs. Kayla Harrison
Amanda Nunes -300 (1/3)
Kayla Harrison +250 (5/2)
Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison
Cris Cyborg -200 (1/2)
Kayla Harrison +170 (17/10)
(odds via @betonline_ag) https://t.co/RqmOlrIhr4
With former champion Cris Cyborg now dominating under the Bellator banner, Kayla Harrison might be the perfect new rival for Nunes.
The Brazilian will defend her bantamweight belt against Julianna Pena at UFC 269 on December 11.