Ariel Helwani disapproves of PFL founder's take on Kayla Harrison's exit: "She carried them on her back"

Ariel Helwani recently shared his thoughts on PFL founder Donn Davis' take on Kayla Harrison leaving the promotion to sign with the UFC earlier this year. Harrison notably won two lightweight titles during her tenure at the PFL and was among the most well-known fighters on their roster.

Harrison signed with the UFC in Jan. 2024 and made her promotional debut against Holly Holm at the milestone UFC 300 event, where she won the fight via second-round submission. While most fight fans were excited to see her join the world's premier MMA promotion and test herself in new waters, Davis wasn't happy about her leaving the PFL.

During an interview, Davis compared her career to that of NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant, implying that the two-time Olympic gold medalist needed "validation" for her achievements.

Helwani recently expressed his dismay at Davis' comments about Harrison and pointed out that it made sense for the 33-year-old, who already made her mark in the PFL, to finish her stellar career at the UFC. Helwani wrote in an X post:

"Don’t like this at all. Kayla was the face of PFL for years. She carried them on her back. She did it all for them and then some. There was very little left for her to do there. UFC is the pinnacle. It was the last mountain for her to climb. Completely understandable she’d want to end her career there. Prefer the approach we saw from [Scott] Coker when [Michael] Chandler signed with UFC: “Good luck. We’ll be cheering you on. Last person who deserves any criticism whatsoever is Kayla."

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What did PFL founder Donn Davis say about Kayla Harrison joining the UFC?

As mentioned above, PFL frontman Donn Davis wasn't pleased to see Kayla Harrison leave the promotion for greener pastures. During an interview with Josh Thompson and John McCarthy on the Weighing In show, he was asked about Harrison leaving the promotion and about her last remaining contractual fight.

Davis compared her to NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant as her explained his stance. He made it clear that there was nothing he could do to stop her from leaving and said:

"Some people at the very, very, very top of their career are LeBron James, and some at the very, very top are Kevin Durant, and they’re both otherworldly basketball players, but who they are is very different as people. One wants to lead and change their sport and wherever they are is the best in the world. The other is a follower who needs validation and we couldn’t do anything about that."