Despite making inroads in the UFC, women fighters still face skepticism about their ability to headline major events. The debate resurfaced after legend Demetrious Johnson and former champion Israel Adesanya discussed the main event at UFC 332. As a woman and a champion herself, Kayla Harrison finds it disturbing that such attitudes persist. During her recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the bantamweight champion, who is scheduled to defend her title on November 14 at the Madison Square Garden, made her stand clear.

“I’m just like kind of over Mighty’s attitude,” Harrison told Helwani. “I don’t know if you…He is the one that said I shouldn’t fight. I shouldn’t fight Amanda…I should retire. I just think that, like, especially for retired fighters, but I think for all of us, this mindset of scarcity is detrimental to the growth of the sport.

“Like there’s enough room at the table for all of us to eat. And we don’t have to belittle or poke fun or like put down anyone else in order to build our own brand. Like, I just—I just don’t believe in that. And especially for a retired fighter, like of course, you know what?

“Those girls are not stars yet. But do you know how you build a star? You f**king put them in the main event, and you build them. Like, you can’t; you have to start somewhere. So like to talk sh*t about them like that, I just feel it is unnecessary…unnecessary.”

Harrison’s remarks stem from Johnson and Adesanya’s reaction to the announcement that Natalia Silva and Cong Wang would headline the UFC 332, which took place at Salt Lake City’s Delta Center on October 3. Silva and Wang fought for the women’s flyweight title left vacant after Valentina Shevchenko vacated it due to injuries.

Speaking on Precision with Mighty and Izzy, Adesanya said, “I don’t even know who’s the main event.” As the details emerged, the two appeared to laugh, with Adesanya suggesting that the event sounded more like a Fight Night card than a numbered card.

Their reactions question how women’s MMA is viewed, particularly when it comes to headlining major cards. Despite producing stars such as Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Amanda Nunes, and Harrison, women’s MMA still faces scrutiny over its drawing power.

In February 2013, Rousey made history by headlining UFC 157, the first UFC card topped by a women’s fight. The event reportedly generated 450,000 pay-per-view buys, giving the newly introduced women’s division a strong commercial start.

Rousey’s drawing power continued at UFC 190, which reportedly attracted 900,000 buys. In November 2015, UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm drew 56,214 in Melbourne, setting a UFC attendance record at the time, while reportedly generating 1.1 million PPV buys.

Even after Rousey’s loss to Holm, her return to the Octagon against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 reportedly drew another 1.1 million buys.

These milestones helped establish women’s MMA as a major attraction. UFC CEO Dana White even called the inclusion of women in the promotion the best decision of his career.

Yet the reaction from Johnson and Adesanya highlights the skepticism that can still surround women headlining a card.

Beyond Demetrious Johnson and Kayla Harrison: is women’s MMA still struggling for main-event respect?

To be fair to the two former champions, their apprehension may have stemmed more from Silva and Wang’s relative lack of name recognition than from their being women. Even so, they could have framed their comments with greater context.

Johnson, in particular, has not been widely associated with public feuds involving female fighters. There are no recorded instances of him explicitly mocking female fighters or engaging in a personal feud with Harrison.

The most relevant instance came last year, when Harrison’s victory over Julianna Pena fueled talk of a potential matchup with Nunes. While some fans welcomed the prospect, Johnson took a different view.

“If I was Kayla Harrison, I would retire from the sport,” he said on his YouTube channel. “Don’t fight Amanda Nunes.”

Johnson’s comments provide some context for why his reaction might have drawn Harrison’s attention. Her potential comeback fight against Amanda Nunes has been placed in the co-main event on a card headlined by Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit. Harrison, who recently reflected on retirement, is also the reigning bantamweight champion, having won the title against Pena in June, 2025.

Given Harrison and Nunes’ standing in the sport, the placement of their matchup has prompted questions. Former champion Alex Pereira also weighed in on social media asking, “Why is the women’s fight not the main event? Okay, let me help promote this cause; no one is paying attention to it.”

For Harrison, however, the placement barely matters. During her interview with Helwani, she said she was being paid on the same scale as other star attractions on the card.

Still, her argument that women should receive more opportunities to headline events has faced opposition from other prominent figures in MMA.

Sean Strickland criticized the announced Rousey-Gina Carano matchup, questioning its appeal. Former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has also expressed discomfort with women competing professionally, while acknowledging their right to make that choice.

Meanwhile, veteran Matt Brown argued in 2025 that the “honeymoon” period for women’s MMA had ended, citing waning excitement and a lack of stars comparable to Rousey.

These comments have kept the debate over women’s MMA alive, raising questions about its drawing power and the opportunities female fighters receive to headline major UFC cards.