PFL CEO Peter Murray hints at new women’s weight classes in coming seasons

With Kayla Harrison potentially on the way out of the PFL, the promotion may not feel forced to look elsewhere for their next big superstar as expected – they’ve already begun planning ahead.

The PFL currently acts as the only promotion in all of MMA to host a division for 155-pound lightweight women. When it comes to the women, in particular, the 105-pound atomweights have also found a lack of love when in major North American promotions.

Not specifying whether or not atomweight was the target for their next group to bring in, PFL CEO Peter Murray did, however, let it be known that we could start seeing additional women’s weight classes integrated into the mix.

“We’ve had a lot of conversations about it,” Murray told My MMA News. “What you’ll see us do is – we may be signing fighters in different weight classes as we circle a weight class and a category to develop over time. So you’ll see us sign some athletes, men and women in weight classes we don’t have today and then we’ll start developing the talent, developing a point of view, then we’ll be ready to expand and go to market with those new weight classes in the coming seasons.”

Crossing over from the Judo world as a two-time Olympic gold medalist, the aforementioned Harrison has crafted an 11-0 MMA record thus far. On Oct. 27, the 31-year old expects to take home another million-dollar title by dispatching of Taylor Guardado (3-1) in the main event.

“It’s all in the numbers,” Murray said of Harrison headlining. “When we look at fan interest, audience, consumer engagement, and then even the media, people interested to talk to her and follow her… She is the most dominant fighter in the sport – man or woman. You look at her dominance, and she’s gonna continue to grow and make a huge impact on the sport, she’s a star. But at the end of the day, she’s got an opponent who has something to prove as well, and anytime you close that cage door and that bell rings, anything can happen.”

Drake Riggs

Drake is an MMA writer based out of Brush Prairie, Washington, USA who specializes in feature pieces, the women's fight scene, lists, news coverage, and rankings. He has been a passionate fan of MMA ever since 2009. Drake has most notably written for BJPenn.com, FanSided, The Body Lock, South China Morning Post, MyMMANews, WhatCulture, Cageside Press, Sherdog, The Scrap, and MMA Today. He has also written for and created video content for RT Sport. As for other sports, Drake is a longtime fan of the NFL's Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @DrakeRiggs_ . Also check out all of his video content on YouTube at YouTube.com/DrakeRiggs where he uploads fighter interviews, podshows, and various other types of content.

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