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Mike CoppingerESPN
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Kayla Harrison‘s dominance of the PFL continues.
For the second consecutive season, Harrison has captured the PFL lightweight championship. She did so with ease Wednesday at the Hard Rock Live; she attempted 90 strikes and landed all but five of them en route to an armbar submission of Taylor Guardado at 4:00 of Round 2.
ESPN’s No. 9 pound-for-pound female fighter, Harrison (12-0), 31, has now netted two $1 million prizes in the PFL, the MMA league in which she has held all but one of her fights (Invicta FC is the other). However, Harrison is now a free agent, and it’s unclear where she’ll go from here.
“I’m already thinking about what’s next,” said Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo. “I have a lot to think about. I have a family now. Of course, I still want to be the best in the world; I still want to continue to challenge myself. I feel like I can do that no matter where I go. But I have two mouths to feed now and a family to take care of.”
The Middletown, Ohio, native, did whatever she wanted in the cage, whether it was throw powerful strikes on her feet, land from ground-and-pound position or even with Guardado face-down in the mat.
“She came out swinging. That was a great game plan, actually, because I planned on feeling her out, and she said, ‘We’re not going to do any of that,'” Harrison said. “She caught me off-guard, but when all else fails, grapple.”
Guardado (3-2) attempted just 13 strikes and landed six. The 30-year-old from Las Vegas was never in the fight, not even for a second.
Harrison hasn’t found a woman who can challenge her in the cage just yet. If she decides to pursue a career in the UFC, she will have to find a new weight class.
While she competes as a 155-pound lightweight in the PFL, the UFC’s largest female division is featherweight, which carries a 145-pound limit. Harrison’s lone featherweight fight came in Invicta FC in November 2020.
Harrison’s victory over Guardado was one of six championship fights Wednesday. Five other fighters won a $1 million prize at Hard Rock Live. Ray Cooper III scored a third-round KO of Magomed Magomedkerimov to win the welterweight championship while Bruno Cappelozza topped Ante Delija via unanimous decision to capture the heavyweight championship.
In the featherweight championship bout, Movlid Khaybulaev defeated Chris Wade via unanimous decision. The light heavyweight championship was claimed by Antonio Carlos Jr., who made Marthin Hamlet tap out in the first round via rear-naked choke. Raush Manfio defeated Loik Radzhabov via unanimous decision to win the lightweight championship.