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Olympic legend celebrates UFC debut victory
The two-time judo gold hero Kayla Harrison follows in the footsteps of her companion Ronda Rousey in the MMA empire – and wins her first match there against Rousey’s former conqueror.
Kayla Harrison (l.) defeated Holly Holm at UFC 300
© IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison has made a successful start to the UFC martial arts empire!
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At the UFC 300 anniversary show on Sunday night in Las Vegas, Harrison – gold winner in judo in London 2012 and Rio 2016 – won against Holly Holm.
The 33-year-old Harrison forced Holm – the woman who disenchanted the phenomenon Ronda Rousey in 2015 – to submit with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
In front of star guests such as actor Chris Pratt and Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, Harrison made his first mark in the hunt for the bantamweight title that Holm had once taken from her former judo training partner Rousey. The current titleholder is Raquel Pennington after long-time champion Amanda Nunes retired last year.
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Kayla Harrison moved from the PFL to the UFC
Judo legend Harrison – also world champion in the 78 kilo class in 2010 and a member of the International Sports Hall of Fame since 2023 – switched to MMA after her second Olympic victory and has only suffered one defeat in 18 fights there.
Harrison was active with UFC competitor PFL until the end of 2023. The league, which also includes social media and boxing phenomenon Jake Paul under contract and comedian Kevin Hart and rap star Wiz Khalifa as investors, differs from the UFC through a league and tournament system.
Harrison won the lightweight title twice this way, but after her PFL contract expired she went new ways and signed a deal with the UFC.
In the main fight of the show, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defended his title against Jamahal Hill, while Max Holloway was crowned the new lightweight champion against Justin Gaethje. In the card’s co-main event, China’s Zhang Weili retained her strawweight belt against compatriot Yan Xiaonan.
2024-04-14 08:43:32
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