If the perfect scenario occurred and Kayla Harrison could face fellow women’s champions Amanda Nunes or Cris “Cyborg” Justino in the cage, she would be a sizable betting underdog to the mixed martial arts legends in BetOnline.ag’s early odds.
Over 11 professional MMA bouts, former two-time Judo Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison has created a serious buzz for herself. Her entry into the sport was much ballyhooed because of her historic accomplishments at the highest level of Olympic competition. Despite all the lofty expectations, the 31-year-old has lived up to the potential in a dominant run in the PFL — and one-fight foray in Invicta FC.
Kayla Harrison a betting underdog against Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg
As arguably the most commanding force on the entire PFL roster, a regular topic of conversation in many MMA circles is how the Ohio native would fair against the elites of UFC and Bellator. Both promotions have forces of nature that are the faces of their women’s rosters, in two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes and Bellator featherweight queen Cris Justino.
Although both matchups are pure fantasy, and none of these powerhouse MMA organizations have shown any inclination to work together and co-promote, it didn’t stop the folks at BetOnline.ag from setting some early betting odds for the two hypothetical super fights.
First up, is the dream scenario of the golden Judoka stepping into the Octagon to face her American Top Team teammate, and women’s MMA GOAT, Nunes. For this matchup — likely at featherweight — the site set the Brazilian superstar as a -290 favorite and made the PFL season three lightweight finalist a +245 underdog. A notable difference no doubt, but Harrison’s relative inexperience, and lack of strong competition so far compared to “The Lioness” probably guided the final numbers to where they landed.
Against Justino, the site gives the 2019 PFL champion a better chance for victory. BetOnline made the 36-year-old Justino a -200 favorite and Harrison a +170 underdog. A “Cyborg” win would of course be expected, however, the thinking must be that American’s youth and world-class athleticism could give the former UFC champion more trouble than Nunes.
After winning her eleventh straight fight at PFL Playoffs 2 last week, Harrison will next compete in the finals of the women’s lightweight division tournament on October 27 at the PFL Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Are those betting lines fair, or should they go higher or lower?
