Kayla Harrison is the fighter to watch at UFC 307

There's a good chance UFC matchmakers will walk away from tonight's UFC 307 fight card knowing who will fight for the UFC women's bantamweight title next.

The evening's co-main event between champion Raquel Pennington and former titleholder Julianna Pena will determine who holds the women's bantamweight belt. Meanwhile, Ketlen Vieira and Kayla Harrison will fight earlier on the pay-per-view card for a chance to fight for this title. Viera, who joined the UFC in October 2016, is the second-best fighter in the 135-pound class. Harrison, who made her UFC debut in April of this year, is the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC rankings.

Harrison has a track record. Before her journey into MMA, she won two Olympic gold medals in judo and competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. When she transitioned to MMA in 2018, it didn't take Harrison long to secure a title: She won the PFL women's lightweight tournament and won $1 million with a decision win over Larissa Pacheco in her seventh professional fight.

Harrison improved to 12-0 two years later with a win in the 2021 PFL Women's Lightweight Tournament.

Harrison's perfect run in MMA ended in the final of the 2022 PFL Women's Lightweight Tournament when Pacheco defeated her via decision.

Today, Harrison is 17-1. Her UFC debut was a second-round submission win over former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm. Harrison is the heavy favorite to defeat Vieira on the UFC 307 pay-per-view card.

Due to her background and dominance in her previous fights, Harrison has 13 finishes as an MMA competitor. She's also not afraid to put herself out there on the microphone, which she showed when asked who she'd like to meet in the future.

“Fill in the blank,” Harrison said at the UFC 307 press conference. “That doesn't matter. It's just a matter of time. I am the uncrowned queen. First I'm smashing Ketlen on Saturday night, and then I'm coming to claim my title. Enjoy it while you can, ladies.”

In short, Harrison is a marketable commodity. As good as Harrison has looked, there are some areas of concern about how long she will continue to fight. Not only is Harrison 34 years old, she has never reached the championship limit of 135 pounds at bantamweight, and the two times she reached 136 pounds, Harrison looked exhausted, which is no surprise since she started her MMA career in the Competition began at 155 pounds.

Harrison may have the potential to become a dominant champion, similar to Ronda Rousey (six title defenses) or Amanda Nunes (five title defenses in her first title reign and one in her second reign as champion). UFC bosses are probably hoping to get the opportunity to see what kind of champion Harrison can become.

UFC 307 takes place on Saturday, October 5th at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. The main card will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view, following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.

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