She did it!
UFC 300 rolls into T-Cell Enviornment in Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Sat., April 13, 2024) with among the sport’s greatest names in tow (full struggle card right here), together with one most by no means anticipated to see contained in the Octagon. On this version of “New Blood, the collection the place I desperately want Skilled Fighters League (PFL) did a greater job of tagging and sorting its uploaded content material on ESPN+, we checkout a two-time Olympic gold medalist with two, $1 million event victories below her belt.
Kayla Harrison
Weight Class: Featherweight/BantamweightAge: 33Record: 16-1 (6 KO, 6 SUB)Notable Victories: Aspen Ladd, Marina Mokknatkina, Cindy Dandois, Larissa Pacheco
After claiming gold in just about each judo competitors of observe, together with the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Harrison transitioned to blended martial arts (MMA) in 2018, rattling off 15 consecutive victories. She suffered her first defeat to long-time rival, Larissa Pacheco, in 2022 (watch highlights), however bounced again by dominating Aspen Ladd one 12 months later.
Harrison’s grappling is, to place it merely, as marketed. Along with a wide range of throws and journeys from the clinch, she’s proven off an more and more efficient arsenal of wrestling-style takedowns, with particular discover going to her single-leg. As soon as on prime, she’s each a nasty ground-and-pounder and efficient guard passer.
Although she’s not not possible to get out from beneath, Harrison is impressively dogged, sustaining the physique lock on the way in which up and touchdown strong knees whereas on the lookout for alternatives to both re-shoot or kick out her opponent’s base. That chain-wrestling, mixed with a really sturdy fuel tank, lets her put her opponents by a veritable blender of mat returns with out ever giving them the possibility to construct any momentum.
She’s not helpless off of her again, both. She’s fast to seek out an underhook and transition to a single-leg takedown, and even when opponents handle to take her again, she’s very adept at turning into prime guard earlier than the rear-naked choke turns into a risk.
What sank her within the third Pacheco struggle was a scarcity of setups. Harrison supplied little on the ft in addition to bare low kicks, bare physique kicks, and the occasional straight left. This left her to shoot from too far out and provides Pacheco loads of time to sprawl, reverse, or rack up harm as Harrison tried to transition. Harrison confirmed admirable grit in that bout, combating to the bitter finish regardless of 25 minutes of grueling motion, however Pacheco deserved the choice.
That defeat might have been the kick within the pants she wanted, as a result of she seemed miles higher towards Ladd. Her left hand and test proper hook have been sharper, she began utilizing a jab, and he or she truly used the specter of her takedowns to arrange her strikes. Whereas she did nonetheless throw a unadorned physique kick and get countered for it, she additionally confirmed off much-improved feints and even utilized a kick and punch in the identical combo, so the prognosis is sort of good.
Even when her competitors wasn’t the most effective, Harrison is completely reputable. Her grappling is top-notch, her hanging is changing into an actual risk, she’s acquired coronary heart for days, and he or she’s nonetheless bettering significantly after greater than half a decade within the sport. As long as she will be able to juice herself all the way down to 135 with out compromising her efficiency, she’ll get a UFC title as quickly as the chance arises.
The Holly Holm of 2020 would have given Harrison tons of points together with her lateral motion, however “The Preacher’s Daughter” now not has the legs to drag that off. She’s turn into massively reliant on the clinch of late, which places her proper in Harrison’s wheelhouse and may spell her doom by the top of the second spherical.
Keep in mind that MMAmania.com will ship LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of the whole UFC 300 struggle card proper right here, beginning with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches on-line, that are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), earlier than the pay-per-view (PPV) fundamental card begin time at 10 p.m. ET (additionally on ESPN+).
To take a look at the newest and biggest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” information and notes you should definitely hit up our complete occasion archive proper right here.
