“How about you test your takedowns” – Kayla Harrison called out by “the best female takedown defender” in the UFC

Kayla Harrison (pictured) during a training session at American Top Team [Image Courtesy: @kaylaharrisonofficial on Instagram]

After her dominant performance at UFC 300, Kayla Harrison is being sought out by another women’s bantamweight contender.

Five days after Harrison submitted Holly Holm on the prelims of UFC 300, Ketlen Vieira called for a fight with the former PFL champion based on her statistical excellence at defending takedowns. Vieira shared a screenshot of the UFC Stats page showing her 92.9 percent takedown defense topped all female fighters in the promotion.

Vieira tweeted:

“Hey @kaylaharrisonofficial how about you test your takedowns on the best female takedown defender and fifth overall among men and women?”

hey @kaylaharrisonofficial how about you test your takedowns on the best female takedown defender and fifth overall among men and women ? pic.twitter.com/KEfUbbHa32

— Ketlen Vieira (@ketlenvieiraufc) April 18, 2024

In the UFC rankings, Vieira is currently the no. 2 ranked contender in the 135-pound division. Harrison debuted in the rankings at no. 4 with her win over Holm, who dropped down one spot from no. 5 to no. 6.

Per the official statistics, Vieira — a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt — has only been taken down twice in the octagon as both Sara McMann and Miesha Tate were able to take her down once. However, both fighters attempted five and six takedowns, respectively, to do so.

Though she currently holds the second-highest ranking in the UFC women’s bantamweight division, Vieira does not appear to be close to the title conversation, particularly with Harrison’s emergence into the promotion. Now 14-3, Vieira last beat Pannie Kianzad but previously lost a split decision to the current champion, Raquel Pennington.

Who is Kayla Harrison going to fight next?

Kayla Harrison was the only debuting fighter on UFC 300 and passed her initial test with flying colors by submitting former champion Holly Holm with a rear-naked choke. After her win, Harrison unsurprisingly called for a title fight but has kept her options open as former teammate Amanda Nunes teased a return.

Since the dust has settled, Harrison has re-stated her focus on the title picture but mentioned that she would be willing to wait for the winner of Raquel Pennington’s assumed next title fight with Julianna Peña to face later in the year.

However, in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Harrison told host Ariel Helwani that she believed Pennington was hurt and touched on her interest in a potential interim title fight.

Kayla Harrison says she wants to fight for the title this summer 🏆👀

"If it’s for a title, I will make myself available. I would love [to fight on June 29]… My time is now.”

▶️ https://t.co/KbKeylXRc3 #TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/kAQ87fzX1P

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) April 15, 2024

After multiple PFL championships backed up her Olympic gold medals, Harrison is keen on completing her career with a UFC title but seems to be waiting for the right opportunity to book her next fight.

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