Can Harrison Save Us From Women’s Bantamweight Boredom?
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Ever since the UFC women’s Featherweight division officially went the way of the dodo, the women’s Bantamweight division has taken the throne as the most stagnant division in the promotion. UFC 307 heavily features that 135-pound division, which accounts for two of the five fights on the pay-per-view (PPV) portion of the card.
A fact that helps explain the reason(s) excitement for the event is so limited.
Historically, there have been great 135-pound title fights with tremendous results. Ronda Rousey’s career was electric, as was her shocking fall at the hands — or shin, more accurately — of Holly Holm. Amanda Nunes’ seven-year title reign was filled with violence and dominant wins. On its own, her title defenses weren’t usually enough to headline a PPV, but nobody was arguing they were boring. The problem now is that all those big names have come and gone, yet the also-rans of yesteryear are still hanging around in the title mix.
Seriously, Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena were prospects on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) training under Rousey and Miesha Tate 11 years ago! That’s a lifetime in mixed martial arts (MMA), yet Pennington won her title earlier this year. Meanwhile, Pena hasn’t won a fight since her historic upset over Nunes in 2021, but she’s somehow next in line anyway because the division is so uninteresting. These opportunities are not a Charles Oliveira situation either, where a longtime struggling fighter suddenly fills the gap and explodes into title contention. Look closely at the skill sets of both “Rocky” and “Vixen” then compare them to the two women in their early 20s on TUF, and there’s been no drastic change.
The better fighters have simply moved on or aged out.
This title fight isn’t happening in a vacuum. The rest of the division is no more interesting. The other would-be contenders, names like Ketlen Vieira and Irene Aldana, have been apart of the rankings for a long time but continually underwhelm in big moments. The influx of former Featherweight talent — which is to say, just Norma Dumont and Macy Chiasson — after the division’s dissolution helped a bit, but much of the mix remains unchanged from a decade ago.
Tate, Holm, and Germaine de Randamie remain ranked contenders in 2024.
Possibly the sole exception to this vast swathe of ennui is Kayla Harrison, Olympic Judo gold medalist and former PFL champion. At 34 years of age, Harrison is no flawless fighter or Nunes replacement. Larissa Pachecho proved that much in Nov. 2022, and it’s very much in question just how many successful 135-pound weight cuts Harrison has left in her career.
Yet, in comparison with all her Bantamweight peers, Harrison might as well be the next Conor McGregor. There’s an actual depth of technique and mastery in her grappling that is genuinely interesting. She doesn’t have to be perfect to run roughshod over the current ranks at women’s Bantamweight. She is the only hope in the division growing watchable and interesting once more. Really, it’s fortunate that Harrison will be massively favored to win each step of the way.
The two Bantamweight bouts on the UFC 307 card represent a clear divide in past and future. Unusual as it sounds, the title fight is certainly the past, two long-time veterans who stuck around and tried hard long enough to capitalize on a weak field. The future, meanwhile, is storming up the ladder and attempting to live up to the expectation of cleaning house.
Boring or not, Bantamweight is not going to get the ax like Featherweight. There are actually enough fighters to sustain the ranks, even if the faces remain largely unchanged. Anybody who wants the division to be worth-watching has a vested interest in Kayla Harrison, however, who currently stands out as the only hope for breaking apart the stagnancy.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 307 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
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