Professional Fighters League’s biggest star will get to fight before year’s end after all.
Two-time lightweight champion Kayla Harrison will return to action against Julia Budd in a 145-pound showcase bout at the 2023 PFL Championships on Nov. 24. The pairing was announced on Wednesday. The PFL Championship takes place at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., and airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+. The card will feature $1 million championship bouts in six different weight classes. A price point for the pay-per-view was not revealed.
Harrison was originally slated to face Budd at a PFL regular season event in July 2022 before her opponent pulled out of the contest due to an injury. A two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, Harrison owns a 15-1 mark in MMA since making her professional debut in 2018. The American Top Team representative suffered her lone defeat at the 2022 PFL Championships, dropping a five-round verdict to Larissa Pacheco in one of last year’s biggest upsets.
Budd, a former Bellator featherweight queen, has struggled since signing with the PFL. “The Jewel” ended a three-bout skid in her last outing, when she outpointed Martina Jindrova at PFL 5 on June 16. Her resume includes victories over the likes of Arlene Blencowe (twice), Marloes Coenen and Germaine de Randamie.
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