UFC president Dana White isn’t sold on Kayla Harrison’s placement among the best female fighters in the world.
White questioned Harrison’s pound-for-pound standing in an interview with Yahoo Sports! on Tuesday. When naming the beat female fighters today, White failed to mention Harrison (12-0), who’s coming off her second consecutive PFL title as a lightweight. When reporter Kevin Iole threw the two-time PFL champ and Olympic judo gold medalist in the mix, White quickly refuted the idea.
“Kayla Harrison hasn’t fought anybody yet,” White said. “She hasn’t fought anybody.”
Quite simply, White doesn’t consider Harrison’s opposition up to par, which is why he doesn’t place her among the best. White listed UFC fighters Amanda Nunes, Valentina Shevchenko, Rose Namajunas, and Zhang Weili as his top four.
“Let me put Amanda Nunes in with the girls that (Kayla has) fought, it might be the first death in MMA. OK?” White said. “And listen, I like her. I got nothing against her. But come on, let’s be honest. Let’s be honest.”
Many consider Harrison to be one of the best pound-for-pound female fighters. She remains unbeaten since making her professional MMA debut in the summer of 2018. She’s won the PFL women’s lightweight title twice and holds wins over former UFC fighters Cindy Dandois and Larissa Pacheco.
Harrison competed last Wednesday, submitting Taylor Guardado in the second round to win the 2021 PFL women’s lightweight title. The victory was Harrison’s last bout on her PFL contract. She’s yet to announce if she’ll re-sign with PFL or go elsewhere.