2019 Professional Fighters League Women’s Lightweight Champion, Kayla Harrison is set to return to action on Friday, November 20 at Invicta 43 where she will square off with heralded Invicta featherweight, Courtney King (4-1) in the evening’s co-main event.
Harrison (7-0) is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo (2012 and 2016) and has been dominant since beginning her undefeated mixed martial arts career with the PFL in 2018.
“I have been on a mission to show I am the best fighter,” said Harrison, a two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist. “I have been tackling challenges my entire career and this bout at 145-pounds is a new and exciting one for me. I’m looking forward to competing in this new weight class and can’t wait to get back into the PFL cage come April.”
PFL is the first organization ever to present MMA in a true sport season for-mat, with a Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship. Harrison, 30, ran through her division en route to the 2019 championship, tallying four wins, including a pair of submissions, to claim the PFL title and the $1 million purse that came with it. The Judo legend, who has made all seven of her professional starts at 155-pounds, will be competing for the first time at 145-pounds when she steps into the cage with Invicta featherweight con-tender King.
“I am really excited to see Kayla compete for the first time at 145-pounds,” said PFL President of Fighting Operations, Ray Sefo. “She was a dominant champion at 155-pounds, and I look forward to her tackling another challenge on her journey to becoming one of the greatest fighters MMA has ever seen and I’m looking forward to her next run at PFL gold beginning in April.”
King enters the bout on a three-fight winning streak, which includes two submission victories. The 27-year-old most recently submitted fellow Invicta alum, Audrey Wolfe in December. She also holds wins over Holli Logan and Colbey Northcutt.
Invicta FC 43 takes place in Kansas City and airs live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. CT. The event will be overseen by the Kansas Athletic Commission and will feature open scoring. With the ongoing pandemic, Invicta FC 43 will take place behind closed doors. As with any Invicta event, the safety of the athletes, their corners, staff and commission officials is of the utmost priority. All participants will be tested for COVID-19 prior to the event.
The PFL’s 2021 season will begin on April 23 on ESPN2. The remaining Regu-lar Season events will take place on April 29, May 6, June 10, June 17, and June 25. Harrison will be joined by the 2019 PFL champions, including Welterweight Champion Ray Cooper III, exciting new contenders such as MMA superstar Rory MacDonald, lightweight’s Johnny “Hollywood” Case and “The Canadian Gangster” Olivier Aubin-Mercier, and reigning Brave FC Feather-weight Champion Bubba Jenkins, and more for the upcoming 2021 PFL season.
Invicta 43 Lineup
Strawweight Title: Emily Ducote vs. Montserrat “Conejo” Ruiz
Featherweight: Kayla Harrison vs. Courtney King
Flyweight: Stephanie Geltmacher vs. Caitlin Sammons
Featherweight: Brittney Cloudy vs. Hope Chase
Strawweight: Alexa Culp vs. Meaghan Penning
Strawweight: Juliana Miller vs. Kendal Holowell