Former PFL star Kayla Harrison is set to return at UFC 307 where she faces Ketlen Vieira in a huge fight for the bantamweight division.
With Vieira being ranked at #2 and Harrison at #3, the next title contender will surely be whichever woman gets her hand raised in Salt Lake City.
However, some fans, and Harrison herself, questioned after her debut at UFC 300 whether she would need to get another win before jumping right into the title picture.
Coming into the UFC as an already established name and dominating a former champion in Holly Holm like she did was a perfect introduction for the former Olympic Judoka.
Rather than being frustrated that she isn’t in the next women’s bantamweight title fight which takes place the very same night, Harrison believes that it is only a matter of time.
Kayla Harrison Isn’t Bitter About Not Getting Next Bantamweight Title Fight
When Amanda Nunes made the decision to retire and vacate her bantamweight title, many expected that Juliana Peña would be in the equation to fight for the belt.
Instead, Raquel Pennington became the champion after defeating Mayra Bueno Silva which then set the new titleholder up for a first defense against the number one contender in Peña.
Harrison spoke in an interview with MMA Fighting about how it doesn’t bother her that there was an order for who gets the next title shot because of where the division was at after Nunes stepped away.
She referenced how the UFC and Dana White had an agreement with Peña which they didn’t break even if putting Harrison straight into a title fight after her debut would have been a big move by the promotion.
Instead, she’s focused on beating Vieira and challenging the winner in the near future.
“I’m ready for everyone in the division, I’m ready to go out there and prove that I am the best in the world and I deserve to be UFC champion. Having said that, I think that a lot people wanted me to fight for the title but from what I understand, Dana is a man of his word and he made a promise to Juliana and so it’s her turn now but you know, whoever wins that fight, enjoy it while you can. That’s all I got to say about that.”
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