PFL women’s lightweight Kayla Harrison has jokingly suggested that UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling couldn’t challenge her in the cage.
Harrison was last in action at PFL 8 on August 19. Against Genah Fabian, the 31-year-old secured her place in the 2021 PFL Women’s Lightweight Final with yet another first-round finish. After four minutes of the opening frame, the New Zealander’s championship hopes came to an end after she was stopped with strikes.
For Harrison, the victory marked back-to-back PFL finals, and means she’s just one victory away from defending her 2019 155-pound throne. If fellow finalist Taylor Guardado is to stop that from happening, she’ll have to become the first woman to defeat Harrison in MMA. Since making her debut in 2018, the two-time Olympic medalist has been on a tear, amassing a perfect 11-0 record that includes nine finishes.
Having become one of the most talked about fighters in the combat sports community, many have been discussing where Harrison lies among the best women’s fighters in the world, and whether she could be as dominant in the UFC. Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier recently suggested the American judoka is unstoppable, and could defeat the likes of Amanda Nunes.
But how about a male UFC champion? 135-pound kingpin Aljamain Sterling recently joked that manager Ali Abdelaziz was pushing for a matchup with Harrison after the champ’s upcoming clash with Petr Yan at UFC 267.
“.He’s trying to convince me to challenge @KaylaH after I take out Cheyotr Yan”
Sterling posted the tweet while in attendance at UFC Vegas 35 last weekend alongside Abdelaziz and teammate Merab Dvalishvili.
Having brushed aside threats of a challenge from Bellator Women’s featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg, Harrison was quick to respond to “Funk Master,” cheekily stating that a clash between the pair wouldn’t be a challenge for her.
“To Challenge implies it would be difficult. So you wouldn’t be challenging me, you’d be like… submitting to me.”
On behalf of his client, Abdelaziz continued the entertaining exchange by suggesting Sterling would only step into the cage with Harrison for $10 million.
If Harrison’s dominance continues, perhaps the pair can discuss the fantasy matchup in-person as fellow UFC champions later down the line.
How do you think Kayla Harrison would fare against UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling?
