Was Kayla Harrison at her best in the PFL? By the numbers, it’s hard to argue otherwise. She dominated the promotion, winning the lightweight title twice, with her only loss coming in her final PFL bout. And this was clear to many even before Harrison came to the UFC in 2024. However, UFC commentator Joe Rogan sees ‘being the best’ differently.

On a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, he emphasized the importance of competing in the UFC to truly earn that label—comments that were quickly pushed back on by the PFL chairman.

Donn Davis gives Joe Rogan a reality check

Speaking to rising prospect Gable Steveson, Joe Rogan emphasized that no organization carries the weight of the UFC. “That title is worth so much. It’s the name. It’s the combat sports leader,” Rogan told Steveson. “And if you’re not in the UFC… I mean, you can go to the PFL, and you can win that million-dollar tournament, and you can make a living. I’m all for that.”

“And I’m very happy for those guys. They get to feed their family, and they make a great living. They can retire with some money in the bank,” Rogan continued on JRE MMA Show #172. “But the reality is—part of what you’re doing is you’re trying to be the best, and if you’re going to be the best, you have to be in the UFC. I mean, that’s just what it is.”

While popularity alone doesn’t automatically make a champion ‘the best,’ it often draws the deepest talent pool. Beating that level of competition strengthens the claim, which is the core of Rogan’s argument in the podcast episode. PFL chairman Donn Davis, however, pushed back by invoking Kayla Harrison.

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“Joe, is this really true?” he asked Rogan on X. “When Kayla Harrison was 16-1 in @PFLMMA, she was not a top fighter? @joerogan you [are] saying that @KaylaH only became [a] top fighter with 3 wins (all as very heavy favorite) in a different organization just because it has 3 different letters?”

Davis raises a fair point, but Harrison has already beaten high-level UFC opponents despite having just three fights. And nowhere in his argument did Rogan imply that Harrison is the best. With a bout against Amanda Nunes—widely considered the GOAT—on the horizon, a win there would firmly place her among the very best. 

Back when Harrison exited the PFL, Davis had a bittersweet farewell message. He took pride in how they brought her over from the Olympics and established her as a 16-1 talent. But, he went a step further and expressed his disappointment that she ran from tough fights against the likes of Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco.

While the PFL boasts elite talent, the UFC remains the platform that consistently draws the deepest and most competitive roster. Even when the PFL signs proven, UFC-level stars like Francis Ngannou, it often has to cater heavily to their demands simply to keep them under contract. Talking about PFL, one of their own fighters has answered whether Harrison was the best before UFC.

Cris Cyborg claims Kayla Harrison left PFL in fear

Back when Cris Cyborg was competing in Bellator and Kayla Harrison was dominating the PFL, talks of a superfight between the two gained real traction. The PFL had even reached out to make the matchup happen, but Cyborg re-signed with Bellator, and the cross-promotional bout never materialized.

That changed in 2024, when the PFL acquired Bellator, seemingly opening the door for the long-discussed clash. Negotiations began to heat up, but Harrison’s loss to Larissa Pacheco altered the plans. Pacheco ultimately got the first crack at Cyborg, with a potential follow-up fight against Harrison generating buzz.

By the time Cyborg defeated Pacheco, however, Harrison had already made her move to the UFC. Reacting to Donn Davis’ comments, Cyborg offered a blunt take. “I would argue @KaylaH left the PFL because after losing to Pacheco, she realized she couldn’t beat me…,” Cyborg wrote. “That’s why she took less money to fight lesser opponents.”

Cyborg seems to be pushing back against both Davis and Joe Rogan, suggesting Harrison wasn’t the best in the PFL—and can’t be considered the best in the UFC either due to the level of opposition. “She negotiated everything she wanted for our fight…then when it became time to fight took her ball and went home.”

On the same subject, Harrison had said, “I tried to fight Cyborg several times. I’m not going to bet my career on Cyborg saying yes to me. I don’t need Cyborg anymore. I’m going to go win the UFC title, I’m going to lure Amanda (Nunes) back, I’m going to beat the sh*t out of Amanda, and then I’m going to be the greatest of all time.”

People can argue all day about what it would take for a fighter to truly be considered great. However, until promotions agree to host cross-promotional fights, a resolution to the debate can never be found. Do you agree?