PFL lightweight Dakota Bush is now backed by one of the most successful athletes in combat sports history.
Bush (17-4), who is coming off a split decision win at PFL Tampa this past Saturday that extended his winning streak to nine fights, is the first fighter to be managed by two-time Olympic gold medalist and current UFC women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison.
After a brief 0-2 UFC stint that ended in January 2022, Bush has struggled to get another chance in a high-profile organization. That's when his longtime American Top Team teammate Harrison stepped up to help guide his career.
"After I was fighting on the regional scene for a couple years, I was trying to make my way back to a bigger promotion and was having troubles getting in,"
Bush told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. "We're super good friends with Kayla. My wife and her. My kids and her kids. We all go to the same church and are over at their house all the time. I'm just like, 'Hey, can you help me out?' She knows how devoted and disciplined I am at this.
"She's just like, 'I'll do it, I'll take over.' She contacted the PFL. Got me in and got me a good contract. Now it's just keeping the ball rolling, and she's doing a phenomenal job. No complaints at all. Always asking me if I need anything. This camp, all my meals and everything was taken care of. I'm just super blessed to have her in my corner."
The partnership between Bush and Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is a give-and-take at the moment. Harrison has spent all of 2026 recovering from a neck surgery that forced her to pull out of a January super fight against Amanda Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) at UFC 324, and with that, she's had some additional time to prioritize her sole client.
Bush, 32, understands that Harrison has a rebooking with Nunes to focus on now, too.
"She does super well with (balancing everything)," Bush said. "I think I'm a little low-maintenance for her. I'm not too needy for her so she can really focus on her goals as well."
As far as what's next in his own career, Bush said he is recovering from some lingering injuries after his recent hard-fought win. He would be happy to compete again in 2026, though, and has a few names in the PFL at 155 pounds that hold interest.
"There's so many guys on the roster," Bush said. "A couple new guys they signed like Shem Rock. I'd love to fight him. Even (Costello) van Steenis' brother (Gino). Johnny (Eblen) is fighting Costello, so let me fight him on the same card. That would be amazing. There's a lot of guys out there to stay super active."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: PFL's Dakota Bush explains how UFC champ Kayla Harrison became his manager
