Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison may not be happening anytime soon.
With the UFC pulling away from the Cyborg business back in 2019, there has been one big fight for Justino that has yet to be made. Cyborg dominated and reigned as the Bellator women's featherweight champion, while Kayla Harrison secured gold under the PFL banner and was mostly dominant aside from a unanimous decision loss against Larissa Pacheco back in November 2022.
While fans have clamored for a battle between Cris Cyborg and Kayla Harrison, it appears we aren't close to seeing it happen. Cyborg took to her X account to reveal that talks for a PFL showdown with Kayla Harrison have fallen apart.
"I am disappointed to hear that after @PeteMurrayPFL offered me the date and location for a fight against @KaylaH and after we accepted the bout that she has now declined the offer."
It'll be interesting to see how Harrison and the PFL will respond to Cyborg's claim. Cyborg and the PFL didn't exactly get off on the right foot following the promotion's purchase of Bellator MMA. PFL founder Donn Davis told reporters that he had planned to match Cyborg up with the 2023 PFL women's featherweight champion Pacheco before booking a fight with Harrison. Cyborg wasn't thrilled about this, as she hadn't been contacted by the higher ups at PFL about future plans.
Here's what Cyborg posted at the time on X:
"As I said last night… Lots of plans being made and announced. I have not had any contact with anyone from the @PFLMMA since news of the purchase. One thing I will control is how my career finishes. Company culture and the way I am going to be treated as I finish the final fights of my career are a priority. Despite having two fighters call me out fight night, I was one of the few Bellator champions not to be contacted or invited to the show.
"I’m financially at a point in my life that I’m unwilling to enter into any toxic work environments. My mental health is too important
"I am excited to be boxing Jan 19th and after talks with my team have occurred will start to look at the options for my mma return."
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