If Kayla Harrison isn't the best women's MMA fighter outside the UFC, there aren't a lot of people stepping up to challenge the notion.

No one expects the line to fight an Olympic double-gold medalist in judo to stretch over the horizon like that of, say, one that leads into a Popeye's, but the lack of worthy competition is a persistent headwind to one of the most promising fight careers in mixed martial arts.

The 29-year-old (6-0) doesn't need to convince anyone of her talent. She's a grappler whose dominance dwarfs those of her predecessors, including former judo training partner Ronda Rousey, whose trailblazing UFC stardom occurred despite her ownership of only one Olympic medal—a bronze one at that (the nerve!).



READ STORY