PFL lightweight contender Kayla Harrison is ready to do whatever it takes to face Cris Cyborg.
The Judoka is fresh off her return to the cage last month in New York. Standing opposite the multiple-time tournament winner was Larissa Pacheco. The Brazilian was riding a five-fight finishing streak heading into the finals but had lost twice previously to Harrison.
At PFL 10 last month, the Brazilian scored a massive upset win to claim the 2022 women’s lightweight title. While the fight was back and forth, it was Pacheco who earned the win by unanimous decision. With that, Harrison suffered the first loss of her career.
Following the defeat, Cris Cyborg, who had feuded with Kayla Harrison for over a year, sent kind words to the Judoka. Despite their rivalry, the Bellator women’s featherweight champion was classy toward the former PFL tournament winner. Not too long after, there was once again talk of the two fighting.
The terms of the fight are and have been simple from the perspective of the Brazilian, an 80/20 split. Given her pedigree and resume, Cyborg has stated that she would need added financial interest to accept the fight.
In an interview with ESPN MMA, Harrison responded to those terms and agreed. The former Olympian noted that when it comes to facing Cyborg, it’s about achieving greatness. Not getting paid.
“I would love for that [fight] to happen. She knows that I would love for that to happen,” Harrison said. “I would definitely love to fight Cyborg, Rolls-Royce or no Rolls-Royce. I don’t do this for the money, I don’t do it for fancy cars, I actually do really love what I do… It means a lot for me.” (h/t MMA News)
She added, “I mean, I don’t care (about the purse split). I don’t do this for money. Obviously, Ali would murder me. I have to take care of my family. That’s for my managerial team to figure out. I’m just a fighter, I don’t crunch numbers.”
In the event the fight happens, it will take a while. While Harrison is attempting to recover from her first career loss, Cris Cyborg is currently focusing on a return to the boxing ring. After debuting with a win in September, she will make the quick turnaround to face Gabrielle Holloway on the undercard of Terence Crawford’s return.
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