Kayla Harrison, Cris Cyborg And PFL Co-Founder Chime In On Potential Harrison-Cyborg Bout
Harrison recently lost to former rival Larissa Pacheco by unanimous decision -- her first pro loss.
PFL co-founder Donn Davis has a firm belief that Kayla Harrison‘s recent loss to Larissa Pacheco will not dent hopes of a super fight with Cris Cyborg.
After Pacheco beat Harrison on scorecards last week at the 2022 PFL Championships final, social media users suggested that there may not be any point in organizing a mega showdown between her and Cyborg.
But the promotion’s co-founder says otherwise.
“I have a counter view to the Twitter universe,” Davis told ESPN.
“My view is simple: Cris was scared of Kayla and unwilling to take that fight prior to [last Friday]. I believe there was zero chance of that fight happening due to Cyborg’s fear of Kayla. Now, I think the odds of that fight happening have gone way up, and I still believe Kayla wins that fight.”
This was Harrison’s first loss in her professional MMA career.
The veteran martial artist had been through full fights thrice in the past, but this was the first time she left the cage empty-handed.
The 32-year-old has been open to moving to another promotion as well. She has also called out other elite female stars such as UFC double champ Amanda Nunes and former UFC starlet Cyborg.
But on Tuesday, Cyborg explained why she’s not that interested anymore.
I have made more than he’s guaranteeing. He’s already done this publicly before and then failed to reach out privately. I don’t enjoy public negotiations as it can cause safety concerns in Brazil. I’m not looking to work with a promoter who’s already putting me down in the media.
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) November 29, 2022
“I have made more than he’s guaranteeing. He’s already done this publicly before and then failed to reach out privately. I don’t enjoy public negotiations as it can cause safety concerns in Brazil. I’m not looking to work with a promoter who’s already putting me down in the media.”
When Harrison was a free agent and browsing MMA promotions, Cyborg tried luring her into signing with Bellator, where she is currently the featherweight champion and is undefeated under the banner.
On Wednesday, Harrison appeared on “The MMA Hour” and responded to Cyborg’s statement.
“Classy,” Harrison said. “I don’t think that Cyborg’s not classy. I think she’s a champion…in life. Again, I have nothing but respect for her and anytime I say these things that I want to fight them, it’s because I think they’re the best.”