The UFC 307 featured several amazing performances. One standout performance was by UFC bantamweight fighter Kayla Harrison. However, just hours before her fight, her former promotion appeared to post a video indirectly criticizing her. When asked about this, the UFC CEO had quite a reaction. As such, Dana White criticized the rival promotion, PFL.
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) recently posted a video promoting their fighter, Larissa Pacheco, for her upcoming fight against Cris Cyborg. The promotional video indirectly took some jabs at Kayla Harrison. This caught the attention of the UFC press panel, who seemed interested in questioning Dana White about it. Interestingly, in response, the UFC CEO strongly criticized the rival promotion.
They’re drowning. Drowning. They s*ck. They’re not good at what they do. So, I guess you would just keep trying anything you can to make something stick…
Dana White via UFC 307: Post-Fight Press Conference
Per White, PFL is having difficulty attracting a large audience to their upcoming major events, so they are using Harrison to boost their numbers. However, this isn’t the first time that these organizations have clashed. The UFC CEO, in particular, has frequently criticized his rival promotions. Interestingly, White’s animosity towards his rivals increased even more when PFL merged with Bellator.
Meanwhile, PFL founder Donn Davis is pleased with the organization’s recent growth. He believes that PFL will reach the same level as the UFC in a few years, potentially creating a duopoly in professional MMA. To fulfill the prophecy, the promotion is currently gearing up for one of its biggest events. The grand event would feature Dana White’s former champion, Francis Ngannou, in Saudi Arabia.
Before joining the UFC, Kayla Harrison was a huge star in the PFL. Many questions surrounded her when she left her former promotion to join forces with Dana White. Despite PFL’s attempts to offer her millions, she chose to join the UFC. Following this, the PFL executives seemed disappointed with Harrison’s rejection of the contract extension.
After her recent fight at UFC 307, the press asked Harrison about a recent video from PFL criticizing her, similar to what they asked White. The UFC bantamweight fighter laughed it off and mentioned that she hadn’t seen the video yet. While talking about this, Harrison also took a subtle dig at her former promotion.
No, I haven’t seen it (the video)… Have you seen anything, promoting any PFL? Anything lately?
Kayla Harrison via UFC 307: Post-Fight Press Conference
After her impressive win against the #2 ranked Ketlen Vieira, Harrison is brimming with confidence. As such, the decorated Olympian has even expressed her desire to compete for the title soon, putting all other bantamweight fighters in the division on notice. Now, it will be interesting to see who Dana White arranges for Harrison to fight next.
