2-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Kayla Harrison to Make PFL MMA Debut

Two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison will make her professional mixed martial arts debut in February for the Professional Fighters League, formerly known as the World Series of Fighting, according to the Los Angeles Times' Lance Pugmire and MMAFighting.com's Dave Meltzer.

Harrison, 26, won gold medals in the 78-kilogram weight class at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. 

Harrison signed with the World Series of Fighting in October 2016 and agreed to join the promotion as a commentator and brand ambassador as she transitioned into the world of MMA. 

However, Harrison was adamant all along that she would hone her chops and eventually make her way into the cage.

"I’ve been boxing and doing jiu-jitsu and all that, and the biggest thing for me, really, is that I miss competing," Harrison told USA Today at the time. "I miss fighting on the highest stages of the world, and the World Series of Fighting really gave me a great opportunity." 

In April, Harrison told Pugmire that if she committed to fighting professionally, she would do everything in her power to emerge as one of the sport's most dominant forces. 

"I'm just focused on training hard for six months and then re-evaluate and see where I am," she said at the time. "If I choose to do MMA after this, my goal is to be the best at it. And I want to be where the best fighters are."

Harrison's first opponent has yet to be announced.