Kayla Harrison is not shy about what legacy would be with a UFC championship added to her name: “Greatest combat athlete of all time,” she declares – short, sweet, and to the point. For anyone following her career, it’s a claim that’s hard to dismiss, especially as she stands on the cusp of a UFC title fight at UFC 316 this weekend.
If Harrison adds a UFC title to her collection, the argument for her as the all-time greatest in combat sports only gets stronger. Olympic gold, world titles, and a UFC belt – few athletes can claim such a complete set.
Greatest Combat Athlete of All Time – Kayla Harrison
Kayla Harrison is set for the biggest fight of her MMA career this Saturday, June 7, at UFC 316, where she challenges Julianna Peña for the UFC women’s bantamweight title at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Kayla Harrison’s journey started on the judo mats, where she was more than just another competitor. She picked up the sport young and quickly made it clear she was something special. Her resume is stacked: two Olympic gold medals (London 2012, Rio 2016), a handful of World Judo Championships medals, and a reputation for technical mastery and relentless drive. By the time she hung up her gi, she was already considered one of the greatest judokas of her generation.
But Kayla Harrison wasn’t finished. She swapped the judo mats for the MMA cage, where she bulldozed her way through opponents with the same intensity. She collected multiple titles in the PFL and made a name for herself as a force in women’s MMA.
Kayla Harrison moved to the UFC in 2024. Her debut was nothing short of emphatic: she submitted former champion Holly Holm in the second round at UFC 300, silencing doubts about her ability to make the bantamweight limit after years fighting at 155 pounds. She followed that up with a unanimous decision win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307, earning her the title shot against Peña.
Now, Harrison is about to fight for UFC gold. She’s visualized it every night, she says, and she’s ready. In an interview with MMA Fighting, she explained:
“I know that I’ve put in the work, I know that I have the best team, I have the best game plan, I’m prepared, I’m ready, and that is going to be the fruit of my labor—to feel those feelings, to feel the weight of the UFC belt go around my waist, to probably give Dana a big old kiss on his bald head and just hug my family. Yeah, I can’t wait for that moment.”
A win for Harrison would make her one of the few athletes in history to hold both Olympic gold and a UFC title, cementing her claim as the “greatest combat athlete of all time.” With a judo record of 208-50, two Olympic golds, two PFL titles, and an undefeated UFC run so far, Harrison stands on the brink of combat sports history.
