Harrison ‘Could Be In Trouble’ At UFC 307
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Could we see a repeat of the Larissa Pacheco upset?
Kayla Harrison is a -800 betting favorite against Ketlen Vieira (+550).
But fight fans expecting the former PFL champ and two-time Olympic gold medalist to walk through her Brazilian rival on the UFC 307 pay-per-view (PPV) main card this weekend in Salt Lake City may want to reconsider their pre-fight wager.
That’s according to former UFC champion Henry Cejudo.
“It’s hard to bet against a girl like Kayla Harrison but I think out of all the girls right now at 135 pounds that could match her strength ... because you know Vieira’s a Judo black belt as well and she’s got, in my opinion, she has better hands than Harrison,” Cejudo said on his Pound 4 Pound podcast. “So it’s going to come down to the wrestling and I do feel like Kayla Harrison is going to bring the wrestling in and that’s just what’s going to change it. But if Vieira can keep it on her feet, I think Kayla could be in trouble dude.”
Cejudo and Harrison are both managed by Ali Abdelaziz.
“Her striking is no joke man, [Vieira] trains out there with Jose Aldo,” Cejudo continued. “If Kayla cannot take her down, it’s gonna lean more towards Vieira’s side. But because of the wrestling, I gotta go with the two-time Olympic champ. I don’t wanna go against Kayla, dealing with her is a pain, dude. There’s too much ego between both of us combined. So, I’m gonna have to go with the two-time Olympic champion, because of the wrestling. Not because of the judo, because of the wrestling.”
No knees were bent during the recording of Cejudo’s podcast.
The 34 year-old Harrison (17-1) migrated to UFC after finishing up her PFL contract last fall. Her first trip to the Octagon resulted in a second-round submission victory over former bantamweight champion Holly Holm and a strong showing against Vieira could put Harrison in line for the winner of Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena, who collide for “Rocky’s” 135-pound title in the UFC 307 PPV co-main event.
We’ll find out this weekend in “The Beehive State.”
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 at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 307: “Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 307 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
