Kayla Harrison vs Holly Holm Full Fight – UFC 300

Kayla Harrison defeated Holly Holm via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:47 of Round 2 in her highly anticipated Octagon debut at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024. Stepping down to the bantamweight division (135 lbs) for the first time, the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist used her immense physical strength and grappling prowess to utterly dominate the former UFC champion.

Here is how the rounds unfolded:

• The Opening Reversal: Early in the round, Harrison went for a signature judo throw. Holm briefly managed to reverse the momentum to wind up on top, but Harrison effortlessly muscled her way back up to her feet. 

• The Ground-and-Pound: Once Harrison secured her own takedown and established top position, the fight became completely one-sided. She trapped Holm against the canvas and unleashed a brutal ground-and-pound assault. 
• New Weapons: Harrison took full advantage of UFC rules by landing vicious elbow strikes—a weapon she was legally restricted from using in her previous promotion, the PFL. [4, 8]
• The Stats: Harrison completely shut down Holm’s striking, outlanding her in significant strikes by an astonishing 46 to 0 in the first round. Most analysts scored the round a dominant 10-8. 

• The Final Takedown: Knowing she needed to utilize her boxing background, Holm tried to keep her distance and strike to start the second round. However, Harrison quickly closed the gap, executed a beautiful level change, and secured a double-leg takedown. [5, 7, 10, 11]

• The Submission: Harrison quickly transitioned to Holm’s back during a scramble. She locked in a deep rear-naked choke, forcing the combat sports legend to tap out at the 1:47 mark.