Kayla Harrison to Make Bantamweight Debut vs. Holly Holm at UFC 300

Two-time Professional Fighters League champion Kayla Harrison has signed with the UFC for an Octagon debut on the biggest stage possible.

UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday night that Harrison will make her bantamweight debut against former champion Holly Holm at UFC 300 on April 13. Harrison has competed at both lightweight and featherweight but never at 135 pounds during her 17-fight professional tenure.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Harrison fulfilled her PFL contract at the 2023 Championships, where she earned a unanimous verdict against Aspen Ladd in a 150-pound catchweight affair. Harrison was twice a PFL champion at 155 pounds but came up short in her third title bid, falling to Larissa Pacheco in a massive upset at the conclusion of the 2022 season. Thus far, Harrison has only cut to 145 pounds once, when she defeated Courtney King via second-round TKO at Invicta FC 43.

Holm, meanwhile, is coming off a second-round submission loss to Mayra Bueno Silva — a result that was later overturned to a no contest when the Brazilian failed a drug test — at UFC on ESPN 49 this past July. Prior to that, the Jackson-Wink MMA standout had been victorious in three of her last four Octagon appearances, besting the likes of Yana Santos, Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington.

UFC 300 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and features a “BMF” title tilt between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway at lightweight. Additionally, strawweight queen Weili Zhang will defend her belt against Xiaonan Yan.

Breaking News: UFC has signed Kayla Harrison!#UFC300 Holly Holm vs Kayla Harrison pic.twitter.com/jQeLItwQmO

— danawhite (@danawhite) January 24, 2024