Harrison to get toughest test of career vs. Budd at PFL 6
Kayla Harrison will face her best - and best-known - opponent yet in her next PFL appearance when she takes on Julia Budd.
The reigning PFL women's lightweight champion is set to meet the former Bellator women's featherweight titleholder in the PFL 6 main event July 1 in Atlanta, promotion officials confirmed to ESPN's Marc Raimondi on Wednesday.
In the co-main event, former Bellator champ and UFC contender Rory MacDonald will take on Sadibou Sy.
Harrison, who is second in the PFL women's lightweight standings with three points, defeated Marina Mokhnatkina by unanimous decision in her 2022 regular-season debut in May. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo claimed the PFL title the last two seasons and is undefeated in pro MMA at 13-0.
Budd surprisingly fell short in her first PFL contest as part of the season format, losing a decision to Genah Fabian in May. However, Budd earned an automatic three points because Fabian missed weight.
Budd made her PFL debut last October, defeating Kaitlin Young in a fight that wasn't part of the 2021 season. The British Columbia native held Bellator gold from 2017-20 and had only lost to Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, and Amanda Nunes during her professional career before running into Fabian.
Here's the full lineup for PFL 6, which will take place at Overtime Elite Arena:
- Kayla Harrison vs. Julia Budd
- Rory MacDonald vs. Sadibou Sy
- Ray Cooper III vs. Brett Cooper
- Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Joao Zeferino
- Jarrah Al-Silawi vs. Magomed Umalatov
- Larissa Pacheco vs. Genah Fabian
- Nikolai Aleksakhin vs. Gleison Tibau
- Marina Mokhnatkina vs. Abigail Montes
- Martina Jindrova vs. Zamzagul Fayzallanova
- Olena Kolesnyk vs. Vanessa Melo