UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Kayla Harrison is eager to make her bout with Amanda Nunes official, but with no word from the promotion, she may just move on to the next challenger in line.
Kayla Harrison Captured Bantamweight Gold With Dominant Performance
Arriving in the UFC in 2024 at the blockbuster event UFC 300, Kayla Harrison put herself on the map in the bantamweight division immediately by choking out previous champion Holly Holm. She then would end the year by outpointing top contender Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307, securing her a title shot later on in 2025.
That championship affair came at UFC 316 this past June, where she faced off with two-time gold-bearer Julianna Peña. Outclassing “The Venezuelan Vixen” on the feet and on the ground, the former PFL 155-lb queen found little difficulty in keeping Peña on the defensive. Taking her opponent down in the second, Kayla Harrison locked up a swift kimura lock that nearly broke Peña’s arm, forcing her to tap.
Scoring the bantamweight throne in just three fights in the company, Kayla Harrison carved out a piece for herself in the annals of women’s combat sports as one of the best to ever compete. Before the sweat from her brow from the match even began to dry, however, her greatest challenge to date entered the cage, mixed martial arts icon Amanda Nunes, setting the stage for a prolific future clash.
Kayla Harrison Believes Nunes Contest Still Happens, But Ready to Move On
Although a scrap between Harrison and Nunes would play out as arguably the most electrifying one the UFC’s female bantamweight class has ever seen, talks of materializing the fight have yielded no results in the last four months. This has caused Harrison to seriously consider fighting a different competitor in her first title defense as to not keep the weight class on hold. Speaking with MMA Junkie, the American Top Team bantamweight product shared her thoughts.
“I have had the conversations with my coaches about how long do we wait before we pivot, and I have an idea in my mind, like, ‘Hey, if I don’t have news by this time, then I’m just going to ask for a different opponent.’ It’s also not fair for the division. I want to be conscientious of being a champion and being respectful of other fighters’ time and career.”
“We all have a very short window. I would never want to put someone else’s dream on hold because, you know, that’s something that I do think about. I’m pretty sure the Nunes fight is going to happen. From everything I hear, she’s ready to go, she wants to fight, I want to fight. We’re just waiting on the details.”
