"Dana hates us" - Fans sound off on Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison fight confirmation for UFC 300

The MMA community has addressed the UFC's announcement of the Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison matchup. UFC CEO Dana White officially confirmed that Harrison has signed with the organization and will compete at the landmark UFC 300 event on April 13, 2024.

In her maiden octagon appearance, the former PFL women's lightweight champion will face former UFC women's bantamweight champion and former three-division multi-time boxing world champion Holly Holm. Their MMA bout will be contested in the bantamweight division.

Watch White's announcement below:

Several netizens, including the "@SpinninBackfist" X handle, subsequently tweeted about the Holly Holm-Kayla Harrison fight announcement. A number of MMA fans responded to the announcement by criticizing UFC head honcho Dana White and the organization's matchmaking decision.

Some X users alluded to the fact that the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka Harrison has only competed in the featherweight (145-pound) and lightweight (155-pound) divisions in MMA. They emphasized that she's never fought in the bantamweight (135-pound) division in the sport of MMA and has primarily performed at lightweight.

The consensus is that Harrison's cut to featherweight was a challenging one in and of itself, and her cut down to bantamweight would likely be a truly mountainous task. Besides, some fans asserted that the matchup should be relegated to the UFC 300 preliminary card and mustn't be added to the main card.

Meanwhile, others pointed out that Holm has suffered multiple defeats in her career as of late and isn't the same unbeaten fighter who bested the legendary Ronda Rousey.

Furthermore, others opined that the 33-year-old Harrison has largely faced lower-tier opposition in the PFL and Invicta FC and now seems set to fight older athletes like the 42-year-old Holm. One fan jibed at Dana White and tweeted:

"Dana Hates us"

Check out the screenshots of a few fan reactions below:

Screenshots of fan reactions

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A closer look at Holly Holm and Kayla Harrison's recent runs ahead of UFC 300

Holly Holm has a professional MMA record of 15 wins, six losses, and 1 No Contest (NC). After initially going 10-0 in her MMA career, including her 3-0 streak in the UFC, she lost her bantamweight title to Miesha Tate in March 2016.

'The Preacher's Daughter' has faced several ups and downs ever since, competing at both bantamweight and featherweight. Moreover, Holm's latest matchup saw her lose via submission to Mayra Bueno Silva. However, the verdict was later overturned to an NC after Silva tested positive for ritalinic acid.

Meanwhile, Kayla Harrison boasts a professional MMA record of 16 victories and one defeat. Her lone defeat came via unanimous decision in her trilogy matchup against Larissa Pacheco in November 2022. She'd previously beaten Pacheco by unanimous decision twice in 2019.

Besides, Harrison returned to the win column in her very next fight. She's fresh off a unanimous decision win over Aspen Ladd in a 150-pound catchweight bout under the PFL banner in November 2023.