Ronda Rousey is gone, and Amanda Nunes is retired, but Matt Brown believes the UFC women’s bantamweight division is in good hands after Kayla Harrison arrived.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo and multi-time PFL champion came storming into the UFC with a stunning debut after she took out Holly Holm inside two rounds. Now, she occupies a spot on the UFC 307 main card with champion Raquel Pennington defending her title against Julianna Pena in the co-main event, but Brown warns them not to get too comfortable holding onto the belt with Harrison around.
“I feel bad for the girls in that division,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “If I’m the champion, I’m retiring. If I’m Raquel Pennington or I’m Julianna Pena and I win the fight, I’m out. I’m pulling an Eddie Bravo here. Win the big one and I’m done.”
Brown admits he was always high on Harrison’s potential but still questioned if she would be the same fighter competing at bantamweight after spending almost her entire MMA career at 155 pounds.
Harrison made major lifestyle changes to get down to 135 pounds, but the recently retired UFC welterweight got his real answer after watching her perform at UFC 300.
“I wasn’t quite as big of a believer until the way I watched her beat Holly Holm,” Brown explained. “Because I just didn’t know about the weight cut, and how she was going to perform [after] the weight cut, and sometimes people change when they come to the UFC. They’re just not what we thought they were when they were in a different organization.
“I think she answered every question very clearly. She’s going to come in, and I don’t think anybody has a chance against her.”
Harrison’s arrival came less than a year after her former teammate Amanda Nunes announced her retirement from the sport, which left a noticeable void in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.
The emergence of Rousey as a bonafide superstar put the 135-pound weight class on the map and then Nunes followed by putting together a resume that almost universally earned her the title as the greatest of all-time before she retired in 2023.
A new champion wasn’t crowned until seven months later when Pennington defeated Mayra Bueno Silva but Brown expects that it’s only a matter of time until Harrison ascends to the throne.
In fact, Brown is so adamant about Harrison’s ability to dominate anybody at 135 pounds that he actually cautions Nunes against a possible return from retirement.
“We’re on the way to the Kayla Harrison era,” Brown said. “I think she wrecks everybody in that division including Amanda if she comes back. I don’t think anybody stands a chance against Kayla. I think she is a major problem for everybody in there.”
On the promotional side of things, Harrison has also proven herself as a force on the microphone where she’s not afraid to trade verbal jabs with her opponents.
Combining her skills inside the cage with her ability to sell a fight makes Harrison a rare combination when it comes to her overall values to the UFC. In many ways, Brown sees Harrison as a more complete package than Rousey when she was at the height of her fame because he doesn’t expect the moment to get the better of his fellow Ohio native. :
“As good of a talker as she is, she’s a true competitor and is respectful in the way she talks,” Brown said. “She’s a bit more aware of herself and the way she’s speaking. A little more self-aware. No hate to Ronda … maybe a little bit … but all due respect to Ronda Rousey but she just said some off the wall, insane things.
“I don’t see Kayla Harrison going out there and being like ‘I’ll beat Cain Velasquez on the right day’ or some shit. She knows who she is. She knows what it is, and she is an absolute terror for this division.”
The only obstacles that Brown identified as potential deterrents for Harrison could come down to her ability to stay healthy at bantamweight and avoiding a lucky punch from one of her opponents.
If neither of those things happen, Brown expects Harrison to hold onto the UFC title for as long as she’s still competing.
“The only question from here on out is how long can she keep doing that weight cut?” Brown said. “I don’t think it’s natural for her body. I think she is going to be depleting herself. I think it is going to take a toll on her. So how long is she going to be able to maintain that? If she’s able to maintain it for 10 years, I think she’s champion for 10 years. She’s a supreme athlete.
“It is MMA. People find ways to do things, spectacular things happen all the time. But like that’s the only chance I give against Kayla is the fact that it’s MMA. That’s your real chance. It is MMA and crazy things happen. There’s your chance.”
