Kayla Harrison is two days away from her first fight as a bantamweight, and her transformation is revealed in promotional photos from UFC 300.
Harrison, a multiple-time PFL champion at 155 pounds, is scheduled to face former champion Holly Holm in her final match before Saturday's pay-per-view card. Her big storyline heading into her blockbuster pay-per-view is whether she can make her weight.
Harrison's first photo shows her progress since taking on this challenge, but she cautioned that the final push to 135 pounds will be the hardest on this journey. ing.
Check out images from Harrison's UFC 300 promotional photoshoot.
Harrison, 33, has only recently made the transition from judo to mixed martial arts, appearing in the cage of PFL, the longtime home of the promotion, where he won two Olympic gold medals. She outlasted UFC veteran Aspen Ladd, suffered the first loss of her professional career, a decision loss to Larissa Pacheco, who she faced three times in 2022, and missed out on her third championship after winning the PFL tournament twice. I recovered from that experience. She defeated Pacheco twice in previous matches.
This is a commemorative weigh-in photo of Harrison as a lightweight athlete in 2022. She also competed as an MMA featherweight once, quickly gaining victories in the all-female Invicta FC promotion.
This is Featherweight Harrison.
Holm, 42, last competed in the UFC in July of this year at UFC Vegas 77, where she suffered a submission loss to Maira Bueno Silva. The setback was later reversed when Silva failed a post-fight drug test. Prior to that, Holm pointed to Yana Santos.
Holm has a record of 5-6 since winning the UFC bantamweight title by knocking out Ronda Rousey in 2015.