The PFL returns this week with their 6th installment of the 2022 regular season. Kayla Harrison (13-0) puts her undefeated record on the line against a newly named opponent, Kaitlyn Young (12-12-1).
Last Fight Record
Harrison is coming off one of the least impressive performances of her MMA career, although she still dominated Mokhnatkina in a unanimous decision victory back in May.
Kaitlyn Young is making her 2022 PFL debut after dropping her last two fights of 2021 by decision in the PFL.
Harrison vs Young Betting Analysis
There is a lot to think about when placing bets on this fight. Experience, age, fighting styles of each fighter are all things to consider. To dive into it, we just first look at the individual fighters.
Kayla Harrison
What more can be said about Kayla Harrison? The 31-year-old is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo and has brought that same dominance into the MMA scene since she started in 2018.
She has finished five of her last six opponents before the third round has even started and just looks like she is levels ahead of all the competition she will face in the PFL. The MMA community is probably upset to see this matchup happening because she was supposed to face off against a former Bellator champ in this one.
We all know what Harrison’s game plan is. She will use her judo skills to take down her opponent, dominate her on the ground, and try to finish with an armbar or ground and pound.
She seems to have her way with any of the fellow fighters in her division if she shows up on fight night. It is really special to watch someone that is as physically imposing as her, along with having the degree of technical skill that she has.
Kaitlyn Young
Young is a veteran in MMA odds, and she has been competing inside a cage for a long time. She is one of the original fighters of Invicta FC, and she will be looking to use that experience to her advantage in this matchup.
Unfortunately, her experience is the only thing she has over Kayla Harrison in an MMA fight. The cards are stacked against Young in this one, but in MMA, we all know that you never know what could happen.
To win this one, she will have to take a lot of chances and try to finish Harrison on the feet. Young has 8 TKO/KO victories out of her 12 career wins in MMA. She is taller than Harrison, and she literally has nothing to lose in this one, so her gameplan will most likely be to try to get Harrison out of there early for probably the biggest upset in MMA history.
Updates
- Harrison is fighting Young due to Julia Budd’s injury. Young is the replacement.
Harrison vs Young Betting Preview
According to Kaitlyn Young, Kayla Harrison is sitting at an astounding -4000 betting favorite for this one. I’ve even seen the line at up to -15000 for her. MMA betting trends have shown that -4000 is about the best value you will get for Kayla Harrison in this one.
Since MMA betting is so interesting, with so many different outcomes possible inside the cage, putting money on the huge underdog in this one is almost a good play. Because what if something unexpected happens? The odds are so crazy that whoever bets on Young will have quite the payout.
Over 1.5 rounds in this one is +190, which is honestly a great value knowing that Harrison went the distance in her last fight. It is basically a matter of how long Young can survive in the cage on Friday night.
We aren’t used to seeing this with high-level MMA fighters this late in their career, but the lack of opponents available in the PFL is what led to this matchup having to be made.
Harrison vs Young Betting Prediction
If you’ve followed MMA, you know this one is going to go to Kayla Harrison. She can pretty much do whatever she wants to Kaitlyn Young in there, and she will get the job done. I hope she doesn’t play with her food and gets the job done as quickly as possible.
This is not a knock on Kaitlyn Young; she is a great fighter and a great martial artist. She doesn’t belong in the cage with Harrison at this point in her career. I believe Harrison will go for the take-down early and try to armbar Young and tap her as soon as possible.
Since the value is so low for a Harrison bet, I believe the play is under 1.5 rounds in this one. MMA predictions are so tough to make because of the nature of the sport and the unpredictability. But this fight might be the exception.
Final Prediction: Under 1.5 rounds, -225
How To Bet On Harrison vs Young
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