Former two-time PFL (Professional Fighters League) lightweight tournament winner, Kayla Harrison is already drawing interesting odds on her chances of holding bantamweight gold in the UFC come the end of the year, sitting just behind former champion, Julianna Peña, and recently-minted gold holder, Raquel Pennington to do so.
Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo, is set to make a stunning Octagon landing later this opening quarter, featuring at a monumental UFC 300 card in April in a scheduled bantamweight fight against former divisional champion, Holly Holm.
Riding a recent win over former bantamweight contender, Aspen Ladd into her much-anticipated Octagon debut in April, Harrison is as a significant betting favorite to beat former champion, Holm in first walk at UFC 300 – despite failing to make the bantamweight limit prior in her professional career.
Kayla Harrison betting favorite to beat Holly Holm
And despite the fact speculation is rife regarding the Ohio native’s ability to make the 135 pound limit for her UFC 300 debut against Holm, Harrison is only behind Peña (+250) and Pennington (+200) to hold the bantamweight title at the end of the year, drawing odds of just +300 before she has even stepped foot into the Octagon.
MMA and UFC odds are available at the linked provided, including interesting prop bets on not just the upcoming UFC 300 flagship card for the promotion, but also on Kayla Harrison’s debut against Albuquerque striker, Holm.
Interestingly to note to boot, following claims from Nunes that a door may be open on a future retirement-snapping return to the UFC following prior opponent, Pennington’s title win last weekend, Harrison is a shorter betting favorite at +300 over the Brazilian, who is sat at +500 odds to win the bantamweight title at the end of 2024 – despite her prior two-weight title reign before June of last year.
And with her prior lightweight tournament victories back-to-back with the Peter Murray-led PFL, backed with her stunning duel gold medal wins in the summer Olympics, Harrison’s pedigree to win spoils can certainly not be called into question.
Failing in her third attempt to land a third lightweight tournament win over Larissa Pacheco, Harrison defeated the Brazilian twice beforehand, with the decision loss to the UFC alum coming as her sole professional mixed martial arts defeat.
Appearing to already shred any excess weight and stock ahead of her incoming UFC 300 bow in April, Kayla Harrison was recently spotted training alongside former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier at American Top Team in Florida – with the former making his return in a UFC 299 co-main event over the course of five rounds against Benoit Saint-Denis.
Vowing to make good on her move to the UFC, Kayla Harrison claimed the time was “now” for her to make a splash in the organization.
“When I started competing, my goal was to be the best…the Olympic champion of #MMA,” Kayla Harrison posted on her official Instagram account. “The @UFC presents me with the opportunity to be just that. It’s been an amazing journey to reach this point, and I’m grateful for every step along the path. The highs and lows have all shaped me and made me an even better version of myself. God’s timing is perfect, and I am sure of one thing: My time is now. Let’s goooooo!”
Will Kayla Harrison hold Octagon gold at the end of the year?
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