PhotoCred: Drake Riggs
Kaitlin Young looking forward to another full circle moment in Julia Budd fight
Kaitlin Young is geared up for a high-profile matchup when welcoming Julia Budd to the PFL at the 2021 season finals.
Participating in this year’s 155-pound lightweight tournament, Young (12-11-1) won her debut opposite Cindy Dandois before dropping a split decision to Mariana Morais. Acknowledging that the fight could have gone her way, Young admits that total point score probably wouldn’t have been enough to see her qualify for the playoffs anyway.
Regardless, a championship-caliber bout with former Bellator featherweight champion Julia Budd came to fruition.
“It was super exciting,” Young told My MMA News about getting the opportunity. “I said yes immediately. It’s fun when you get to fight somebody where you’ve kind of been orbiting each other for like more than a decade now. I think we were both on the first Invicta card, actually. I think that was when I first met her. I think it’ll be fun.”
The 36-year old Kaitlin Young has played a pivotal role in the world of MMA since her pro debut in 2007 – not only as a competitor but a matchmaker for Invicta FC. With several types of different bouts under her belt whether with different rulesets or in different enclosures, “The Striking Viking” finds a lot to like in the PFL as the new year is just around the corner.
“If I’m being honest, the only thing I really don’t like is not being able to use elbows – Muay Thai fighter,” Young said. “But I also really like that Ray [Sefo] is the president. He has 90 fights himself so I think he understands what motivates a lot of fighters that like to fight a lot so they’re keeping me busy. It’s also one of those things where they’d be more likely to let me do some kickboxing or something like that. Who knows, I’m hearing rumors that a lot of new stuff is gonna happen next year.”
