PFL Champion Kayla Harrison to Make Featherweight Debut at Invicta FC 43

Professional Fighters League lightweight champion Kayla Harrison will test the waters at 145 pounds against Courtney King at Invicta Fighting Championships 43 on Nov. 20.

PFL officials announced the news in a release on Monday. Harrison is still expected to compete in the promotion’s 2021 season, which begins in April, at 155 pounds.

“I have been on a mission to show I am the best fighter,” Harrison said. “I have been tackling challenges my entire career and this bout at 145 pounds is a new and exciting one for me. I’m looking forward to competing in this new weight class and can’t wait to get back into the PFL cage come April.” 

Additionally, Invicta FC confirmed that the originally scheduled flyweight championship headliner between Pearl Gonzalez and Erin Blanchfield has been postponed after Gonzalez tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, a strawweight title tilt between Emily Ducote and Montserrat Ruiz has been elevated to the main event. In another change to the card, Caitlin Sammons will replace Trisha Cicero and face Stephanie Geltmacher in a flyweight bout.

Invicta FC 43 takes place in Kansas City and streams on UFC Fight Pass at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Two new bouts were also announced for the event: Hope Chase vs. Brittney Cloudy at bantamweight and Alexa Culp vs. Meaghan Penning at strawweight.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, Harrison went unbeaten in four bouts during the 2019 PFL season. She claimed the $1 million payout at lightweight with a five-round verdict against former UFC competitor Larissa Pacheco on Dec. 31. The 30-year-old American Top Team representative is 7-0 as a professional, with three wins by submission and two via TKO.

King is 4-1 thus far in her professional tenure, including a 1-1 mark in the all-female organization. She enters the matchup with Harrison on a three-bout winning streak and is coming off a fourth-round submission victory over Audrey Wolfe in a title clash at Fury Fighting Championship 41 last December.