Kayla Harrison was victorious Saturday in her second UFC appearance.
The former two-time PFL champion defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in a pivotal women's bantamweight bout at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Harrison, the biggest betting favorite on the card, had to overcome a bit of adversity to secure the victory, suffering a big lump on her forehead after Vieira landed an elbow in the second round. Harrison praised her opponent postfight for the gutsy effort.
"I came to the UFC because I wanted to challenge myself. I came here because I wanted to be the best in the world," Harrison said. "This is the first time I've ever bled inside of a cage. So thank you, Ketlen, for bringing out the best in me."
Harrison will likely challenge for the title after beating the No. 2-ranked contender to move to 2-0 in the Octagon. She sent a message to champion Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena, who meet in Saturday's co-main event.
"Ladies, enjoy it while you can because the queen is home, and she's coming for that f-----g gold," Harrison said.
Harrison controlled the action against Vieira for almost the entire fight. However, she struggled to secure takedowns at times, converting just two of eight attempts. But Harrison managed to do a lot of damage when she got Vieira to the mat, getting into full mount on both occasions and landing heavy ground-and-pound. She outlanded Vieira 55-24 in significant strikes.
Harrison signed with the UFC earlier this year, ending a lengthy stint with the PFL. She made her debut at UFC 300 in April and submitted former champion Holly Holm in the second round.
Vieira stepped into the cage for the first time since a July 2023 win over Pannie Kianzad. She's 1-2 in her last three outings.
