Kayla Harrison Poised to Redefine Dominance in Women’s MMA

Comparisons between MMA fighters Kayla Harrison and Ronda Rousey have been inevitable due to their shared judo backgrounds. Rousey was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo, a bronze, paving the way for women’s MMA in the UFC. However, Harrison surpassed Rousey by earning two consecutive gold medals in the Olympics, and her manager Ali Abdelaziz suggests she may continue to outshine Rousey in the octagon.

Speaking to MMA Fighting, Abdelaziz praised Harrison, stating, “This is no disrespect to Ronda, she’s great, she opened the door for all of the women but Kayla, all the time, did things much better than her.” He further added, “I’m talking about dominance. She doesn’t say much but she does a lot of damage. She inflicts a lot of pain.”

In her UFC debut, Harrison decisively defeated former champion Holly Holm, submitting her with a rear-naked choke in the second round. This victory was significant, as Holm famously dethroned Rousey in 2015 during Rousey’s peak.

Abdelaziz believes that Harrison’s transition from PFL to UFC has been seamless and expects her to dominate the competition just as Khabib Nurmagomedov and other fighters on his roster have. “She smothers people, she punishes them,” Abdelaziz commented. “She creates a lot of damage, creates a lot of chaos and it’s exciting at the same time. Kayla has never been in a boring fight.”

Harrison is set to face Ketlen Vieira this Saturday, and a victory could earn her a shot at the title, depending on the outcome of the UFC 307 main event between Raquel Pennington and Julianna Peña.

Though there were talks of Harrison being given an immediate title shot following her win against Holm, Abdelaziz explained, “It was kind of promised [to Julianna Peña] and these guys, you like it or not, they give you their word, they always keep it.” However, he expressed confidence in Harrison’s ability to prove herself as the best female fighter globally. “Kayla needs to do what she has to do on Saturday night and I think 99.9 percent she is next,” he stated.

Harrison remains focused on her journey, with her manager suggesting that if the current champion retires to avoid fighting Harrison, it would be understandable. “I don’t want to fight Kayla, too,” Abdelaziz concluded.