Arguably one of the most interesting potential challenges in
undefeated Professional Fighters League star Kayla
Harrison’s career has just gone up in smoke.
The PFL’s broadcast partner of
ESPN broke the news on Thursday night that Harrison (13-0) will
no longer be taking on Julia Budd at
PFL 6: 2022 Regular Season. In her place on short notice will
be Kaitlin
Young (12-12-1), who fought for the PFL in 2021 but did not
qualify for a tournament berth. Budd suffered an undisclosed
injury, and as a result, she has been eliminated from the women’s
lightweight playoffs. With three points thanks to a previous
walkover in her last bout, Budd could serve as an alternate if
there is a need and she is healthy. Young confidently confirmed
this news on her Instagram shortly
after it came out.
Advertisement
Young will come into this battle on a losing streak and a flat
record of .500, with 12 wins opposite 12 defeats and a 2012 draw
with Leslie
Smith interspersed among them. The former Invicta Fighting Championships
competitor-turned matchmaker and WMMA pioneer Young has shifted
from bantamweight to lightweight over the years, beating the likes
of Miesha Tate,
Julie
Kedzie and Reina Miura
in a career that began in 2007. “The Striking Viking” celebrates a
knockout rate of 67% as a pro, with all but one of her stoppages
coming in the first two rounds.
Two-time champ Harrison has not formally cinched a spot in the
playoffs yet, as she claimed a unanimous decision over Marina
Mokhnatkina to put an end to a five-fight stoppage streak that
encompassed her whole million-dollar run in 2021. While Harrison
became a restricted free agent after taking home the gold in the
2021 PFL Championships, she ultimately re-signed with PFL in hopes
of capturing another $1 prize. The two-time Olympic gold medalist
in Judo will come into this pairing with a 77% finish rate under
her belt.
Harrison vs. Young will serve as the new headliner of PFL 6: 2022
Regular Season on July 1, which will go down at the Overtime Elite
Arena in Atlanta. The co-headliner will see Rory
MacDonald square off with Sadibou Sy
at welterweight. Other key matchups on its main card include a pair
of 170-pound tilts for former champs when Ray Cooper
III faces Brett
Cooper, while Magomed
Magomedkerimov battles it out with Joao
Zeferino.