Only UFC 307’s Kayla Harrison can save the stagnant women’s bantamweight and make the division visible again

Since the UFC women’s featherweight division officially went the way of the dodo, the women’s bantamweight division has taken its throne as the most stagnant division in the promotion. UFC 307 features heavily that 135-pound division, which accounts for two of the five fights on the pay-per-view (PPV) portion of the card.

A fact that helps explain the reason(s) for the excitement about the event is so limited.

Historically, there have been great 135-pound title fights with great results. Ronda Rousey‘s career was electric, as was her shocking fall at the hands – or rather shins – of Holly Holm. Amanda Nunes“The seven-year title reign was filled with violence and dominant victories. On their own, her title defenses weren’t usually enough to headline a PPV, but no one was claiming they were boring. The problem now is that all those big names have come and gone, but the also-rans of yesteryear are still hanging around in the title mix.

Serious, Rachel Pennington And Julianna Pena were the prospects The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Trained 11 years ago under Rousey and Miesha Tate! That’s a lifetime in mixed martial arts (MMA), but Pennington won her title earlier this year. Meanwhile, Pena hasn’t won a fight since her historic upset over Nunes in 2021, but somehow she’s still next in line because the division is so uninteresting. These opportunities are not a Charles Oliveira neither is the situation where an old struggling fighter suddenly fills the gap and explodes into title contention. Take a close look at the skills of both “Rocky” and “Vixen” and then compare them to the two women in their early twenties on TUF, and there hasn’t been a drastic change.

The better fighters have simply moved on or gotten older.

This title fight isn’t happening in a vacuum. The rest of the division isn’t any more interesting. The other potential contenders, names like Boiler Vieira And Irene Aldanahave been out of the rankings for a long time, but continue to impress at important moments. The influx of former featherweight talent – ​​which is to say: righteous Norma Dumont And Macy Chiasson – after the dissolution of the division this helped a bit, but much of the mix remains unchanged from ten years ago.

Tate, Holm and Germaine de Randamie remain ranked contenders in 2024.

This may be the only exception to this enormous amount of boredom Kayla HarrisonOlympic gold medalist in judo and former PFL champion. At 34 years old, Harrison is not a flawless fighter or a replacement for Nune. Larissa Pachecho proved that in November 2022, and it’s highly questionable how many more successful cuts from 135 pounds Harrison has left in her career.

But compared to all her bantamweight peers, Harrison might as well be next Conor McGregor. There is a real depth of technique and control to her wrestling that is really interesting. She doesn’t have to be perfect to rise above the current ranks at women’s bantamweight. She is the only hope in the division to become visible and interesting again. It’s really fortunate that Harrison is hugely favored to win every step of the way.

The two bantamweight fights on the UFC 307 card represent a clear divide between past and future. As unusual as it sounds, the title fight is certainly a thing of the past, two old veterans sticking around and trying their best long enough to take advantage of a weak field. The future, meanwhile, rushes up the ladder and tries to meet the expectation of cleaning the house.

Boring or not, Bantamweight won’t get the ax like Featherweight. There are actually enough fighters to maintain the ranks, even if the faces remain largely unchanged. However, anyone who wants the division to be worth watching has a vested interest in Kayla Harrison, who currently stands out as the only hope to break the stagnation.

LIVE! Watch UFC 307 PPV on ESPN+ here!

Championship double! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, October 5, 2024, with a pair of exciting championship fights at the helm. In the pay-per-view (PPV) main event of UFC 307, light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereiragoes for his third successful title defense of 2024 when he clashes with number 8 in the rankings, Khalil Rountree Jr.in a battle between ferocious knockout artists. Meanwhile, in the co-headliner of the UFC 307 championship, the women’s bantamweight ruler, Rachel Penningtondefends against former defending champion and No. 1-seeded contender, Julianna Penain a grudge match dating back to The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 more than ten years ago. UFC 307 will also feature the return of the former pound-for-pound great, Jose Aldoalso Kayla Harrison, Kevin Holland and much more! It’s must-see action from “SLC!” UFC307s start time is scheduled 6:30 PM ET (Prelims card) and 10pm ET (PPV main card).

Don’t miss a single second of epic face-punching action!

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round coverage of the entirety UFC 307 fight card right herestarting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, expected to start at 6:30 PM ET (simulcast on ESPNews on 8:00 PM ET), before the start time of the main card pay-per-view (PPV) at 10pm ET (also op ESPN+).

To get the latest and greatest news and notes on UFC 307: “Pereira vs. Rountree”, you can consult our extensive event archive here.