MMA Knockout

Kayla Harrison Batters Ketlen Vieira in One-Sided UFC 307 Fight

The former PFL star might have clinched a UFC women's bantamweight title shot.

Zain Bando

Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Ketlen Vieira (red gloves) fights Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Ketlen Vieira (red gloves) fights Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Kayla Harrison (2-0 UFC) utilized her wrestling and kickboxing skills to clinch a UFC title shot with a unanimous decision victory against Ketlen Vieira (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) - Harrison's 18th victory in 19 MMA appearances since making her debut with the PFL in 2018.

Harrison Takes Unanimous Decision At UFC 307

Harrison, 34, nearly finished Vieira in Round 3. She had her back on numerous occasions, but Vieira was able to escape and get back to her feet. However, it was too little, too late.

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"I came here because I want to be the best in the world," Harrison said in her post-fight interview.

The loss for Vieira was her fourth inside the Octagon. She has lost two out of her last three, including falling victim to current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Raquel Pennington.

All signs point to Harrison facing the winner of the UFC 307 co-main event between Pennington and Julianna Peña.

Despite Peña's two-year absence, Pennington won the belt in January after Amanda Nunes retired from MMA last June following a win against Irene Aldana.

The win for Pennington was her sixth in a row, as one-half of the unofficial women's bantamweight contenders bracket is complete.

Kayla Harrison Batters Ketlen Vieira in One-Sided UFC 307 Fight
Jan 20, 2024; Toronto, Canada, USA; Raquel Pennington (red glove) celebrates defeating Mayra Bueno Silva (blue gloves) during UFC 297 at ScotiaBank Arena. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Harrison made her UFC debut at UFC 300 in April, making quick work of former bantamweight champion Holly Holm. The fight marked her first stint of back-to-back victories since losing to Larissa Pacheco in November 2022.

While Harrison awaits the winner of the co-main event, the MMA community will also await to see whether or not the hype surrounding Harrison is legit.

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For now, the answer is yes, but only time will tell with how Harrison's legacy will be remembered in the years to come. Currently, it is pointing towards becoming one of the best women's MMA fighters the sport has ever seen.

Whatever the case may be, Harrison made a proverbial statement that she is here to stay.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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