Rumours have circulated this Wednesday afternoon that the bantamweight champion, Kayla Harrison, will no longer compete at UFC 324 and has had to withdraw from her scheduled defence against the GWOAT, Amanda Nunes.
Although nothing is confirmed as of yet, journalist Leo Guimaraes stated:
“Kayla Harrison is out of the fight against Amanda Nunes on January 24, UFC 324. The information was revealed first-hand by the website The Eagle Tribune, and I was able to confirm now about the cancellation. The champion had a neck injury and needed to undergo surgery. The prediction is that Harrison’s return will happen around six months. I was not informed whether there will be the creation of an interim belt for Amanda to fight for”
Kayla Harrison is a Doubt for Vegas
Until the UFC confirms that Kayla Harrison is out of her bout against Amanda Nunes, we can assume that it is still going ahead. However, as they say, ‘no smoke without fire’.
Harrison is 19-1 in her professional MMA career and 3-0 in the UFC. In her debut at UFC 300 she dominated the former bantamweight champion, Holly Holm, submitting her in the second round. Her next fight saw her go the 15 minute distance with Ketlen Viera before she blasted then-champion, Julianna Pena in a little over a round.
Amanda Nunes was scheduled to be making her highly anticipated return to the octagon for the UFC’s debut on Paramount Plus. The Lionness retired from MMA in 2023 as a double champion and was inducted into the hall of fame last year. It appears, however, that her return may have to wait if the UFC can’t find her an opponent before UFC 324.
