UFC veteran Matt Brown says Kayla Harrison will dominate at 135 pounds: ‘If I’m the champion, I’m retiring’ 

The UFC women’s bantamweight title may be on the line this weekend as Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena face off at UFC 307, but it’s a woman fighting further down the card in Salt Lake City who will dominate the division for the years to come.

That’s the view of former UFC welterweight veteran Matt Brown, who chatted to MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin on the Fighter vs. Writer podcast and stated that it’s only a matter of time before Kayla Harrison is sitting atop the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division.

“I feel bad for the girls in that division,” Brown admitted.

“If I’m the champion, I’m retiring. If I’m Raquel Pennington or I’m Julianna Pena and I win the fight, I’m out. I’m pulling an Eddie Bravo here. Win the big one and I’m done.”

MORE: Kayla Harrison only needs ’30 seconds notice’ to step in for UFC 307 title fight

Harrison has dominated since swapping judo for MMATwo-time Olympic judo champion Harrison was one of the most hyped female fighters to enter mixed martial arts when she kicked off her career in the PFL back in 2018.

She went on to win the PFL women’s lightweight championship in 2019 and 2021, and lost in the lightweight final of the 2022 season before eventually departing the promotion to join the UFC.

Her Octagon debut came at UFC 300 in April, where she put on a wrestling and grappling clinic to dominate former champion Holly Holm en route to a second-round rear-naked choke submission victory.

The fight not only showcased Harrison’s dominant fighting style, it also showed that she was able to make the move down two weight classes in order to compete in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division – a drop of 20 pounds from 155 pounds to 135.

Brown: Harrison has answered weight-cut questionsBrown admitted that he was unsure whether Harrison could make the cut safely and still maintain her elite level of performance. But he said those questions have been emphatically answered.

“I wasn’t quite as big of a believer until the way I watched her beat Holly Holm,” he said.

“Because I just didn’t know about the weight cut, and how she was going to perform (after) the weight cut, and sometimes people change when they come to the UFC. They’re just not what we thought they were when they were in a different organization.

“I think she answered every question very clearly. She’s going to come in, and I don’t think anybody has a chance against her.”

Brown: Harrison ‘wrecks everybody’ at 135 poundsAccording to Brown, that means that we might not have to wait long before Harrison fights for, and wins, the undisputed UFC women’s bantamweight title. And, once she’s on top of the division, Brown said she’s going to be very difficult to topple, even if all-conquering former two-division champion Amanda Nunes ends her retirement and returns to the UFC.

“We’re on the way to the Kayla Harrison era,” he said.

“I think she wrecks everybody in that division, including Amanda if she comes back. I don’t think anybody stands a chance against Kayla. I think she is a major problem for everybody in there.”