Kayla Harrison

Kayla Harrison (born July 2, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist and Olympic and world champion judoka, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Harrison competed in the 78 kg weight category in judo.

She changed weight classes in 2008, from the 63 kg division to the 78 kg division.

She could not compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics as the United States had not qualified in that division.

She won the 2008 Junior World Championship that year, and the following year placed second, becoming the first American to compete in two Junior World Championships finals.

She won the 2010 World Judo Championships, gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and gold at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games.

She won the gold medal in the 78 kg category at the 2010 World Judo Championships, the first American to do so since 1999 (when her coach, Jimmy Pedro, did so in Birmingham, United Kingdom).

At the 2011 World Judo Championships in Paris, she placed third taking the bronze medal.

Harrison had lost to the eventual winner, Audrey Tcheuméo of France, in her semi-final.

Prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she was injured during training, having torn a medial collateral ligament.

On August 2, 2012, she won the Olympic title in the 78 kg category, defeating Gemma Gibbons of Britain by two yukos, to become the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo.

After the 2016 Olympics, she moved into mixed martial arts and she was the former Professional Fighters League lightweight champion.

In March 2023, Harrison was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.

Born in Middletown, Ohio, Harrison took up judo at the age of six, having been introduced to the sport by her mother, who was a black belt.

She graduated from Middletown High School (Ohio).

She began training under coach Daniel Doyle, and won two national championships by the age of 15.

During that period, Doyle was sexually abusing Harrison, who reported it to another judoka, who in turn told Harrison's mother.

She subsequently reported this to the police.

Doyle was convicted and sentenced to a ten-year prison term.

A month after the abuse was revealed, she moved away from her home in Ohio to Boston to train with Jimmy Pedro and his father.

She earned a second Olympic gold medal in the same weight class in 2016 in Rio, defeating Audrey Tcheuméo of France.

In 2015, Harrison was elected to the United States Judo Federation Hall Of Fame and on August 31, 2016, following her second Olympic gold medal, the United States Judo Association made a batsugun promotion of Harrison to rokudan (6th Degree Black Belt) making her the youngest person in the US to ever be awarded this rank.

Harrison, a former training partner of fellow judoka Ronda Rousey, announced in October 2016 that she had signed with World Series of Fighting.

While she would initially work as a commentator she also indicated she was contracted to fight, probably in the women's 145 lbs division.

Harrison made her MMA debut at PFL 2 on June 21, 2018, against Brittney Elkin in the Women's Lightweight division.

She won via submission due to an armbar in the first round.

For her second professional fight, Harrison faced Jozette Cotton at PFL 6 on August 16, 2018.

She won the fight via TKO in the third round.

Harrison was on the main card for PFL 11 in 2018 and defeated Moriel Charneski via first-round TKO; after her victory, it appeared that she was not completely content with her own performance.

Harrison was expected to headline the first event of PFL's second season against Svetlana Khautova on May 9, 2019.

Khautova withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Larissa Pacheco.

Harrison won the fight by unanimous decision.

Harrison faced Morgan Frier in the co-main event of PFL 4 on July 11, 2019.

She won the fight by key lock submission in the first round.

Subsequently, Harrison signed a new long-term contract extension with the PFL.

After becoming second in the preliminary round standing, Harrison secured a position at the playoffs.

She was originally scheduled to face number 3 ranked Genah Fabian at PFL 7 on October 11, 2019, but Fabian was forced to pull out of the bout.

Fabian was replaced by number 5 Bobbi Jo Dalziel.

Harrison would win the fight by an armbar in the first round.

Harrison faced Larissa Pacheco in rematch for the Women's Lightweight final at PFL 10 on December 31, 2019.