Kayla Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has been to the top of the mountain in women’s MMA several times throughout her career inside the cage. The former Olympian in judo began her time in MMA by competing in showcase fights under the PFL banner in 2018 before entering the women’s lightweight tournament a year later.
In the PFL, Harrison, a product of Middletown, OH, captured two consecutive women’s lightweight championships. A bid for a third straight title was thwarted due to a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Larissa Pacheco (23-5 MMA) in the 2022 PFL finale.
Upon winning another showcase fight in 2023 against Aspen Ladd (12-5 MMA) in Washington, DC, Kayla Harrison joined the UFC’s active roster in the early portion of 2024, making her promotional debut that April in the landmark UFC 300 inside T-Mobile Arena in Enterprise, NV.
Embed from Getty Images
Kayla Harrison Talks Upcoming Fight in Bohnfire Interview
Upon Harrison joining the UFC, she quickly rose through the ranks and won the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship in her third promotional appearance last June during UFC 316’s co-main event of the evening by securing a kimura choke against Julianna Pena. In the aftermath of the fight, she immediately challenged Amanda Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) for the belt.
“Amanda! I see you, Amanda!”, Kayla Harrison said. “Come on up, Amanda! Come on!”
This challenge was met with raucous cheers and applause from the assembled crowd inside Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Nearly seven months have passed since the initial call-out from Kayla Harrison. In just a few short weeks, Nunes will return from her retirement to try and wrest the championship away from Kayla Harrison.
On Saturday, three weeks away from UFC 324 in T-Mobile Arena, Harrison was a guest of The Bohnfire podcast, hosted by Mike Bohn of USA Today’s MMA Junkie. During her appearance, the queen at 135 talked about her upcoming clash for supremacy.
“This is a fight that we’ve all been speculating and talking about for a long time,” she said. “I do believe Amanda’s the greatest female fighter on the planet– was. I believe I’m the best in the world. If you want to be the best in the world, you’ve got to go beat whoever’s the best in the world right now. It’s just all coming together perfectly and it’s not getting easier, that’s for sure. It’s getting harder, but we can do hard things.”
Harrison Has No Ill Will Toward Nunes Ahead of Jan. 24 Fight
Kayla Harrison’s fight with Amanda Nunes serves as the latter’s first appearance inside the fabled Octagon since the spring of 2023. In the wake of a unanimous decision victory over Irene Aldana, the then-35-year-old Nunes hung up her gloves, but ahead of UFC 316 last June, she promised to return to competition to square off against the victor of the Harrison vs. Pena tilt.
Now, with Harrison fighting her former teammate at American Top Team on the first flagship UFC event of the year, the champion is keeping everything in perspective.
“There’s no bad blood for me,” she said. “I know ATT really wants this one, so I’m going to go out there and do us all proud, but yeah, it’s all good. There’s no secret, you know. It’s another fight.”
Kayla Harrison Seeking to Put Amanda Nunes Away for Good at UFC 324
Still, though, the current titleholder didn’t hold back that much in her interview with Bohn. When asked about the potential for a second clash with Amanda Nunes later on in 2026, Kayla Harrison unleashed some venom directed at her forthcoming opponent.
“No, I don’t think she’s going to come back after what I do to her Jan. 24,” she said. “I would welcome it, but I’m going to send her back to retirement.”
Kayla Harrison Went Through Added Pre-Fight Exercises for Paramount Plus Debut
This title fight serves as the first such contest to be streamed on Paramount Plus under the UFC’s new seven-year media rights deal with the platform. Harrison says that she’s had to fulfill extra obligations in the runup to UFC 324.
“So we did that seasonal press conference or whatever,” she recalled. “I went there thinking it was just going to be a press conference, but we did a whole shebang. It was like a car wash. I would go to each thing and the person would be like ‘Hi, I’m the director.’ They’re directing me walking down to go to the shoot. They’re very excited and it made me excited because there’s new eyes and, of course, all the UFC staff, who are just pros.”
“It’s exciting,” she continued “I’m super pumped for it. I got to go to Nashville and do CBS’ Nashville Big Bash Countdown for New Year’s Eve. It was pre-taped, so, it’s cool.”
Final Thoughts
Extra media obligations aside, Kayla Harrison’s upcoming test in the fabled Octagon will be her biggest to-date in her career as a combat athlete. A win in the UFC 324 co-main event on the penultimate Saturday of the month would put her at 20 for her career.
If she scores the victory on Jan. 24, she’ll have hit the 20-win plateau in just her 21st MMA appearance. Will she send Amanda Nunes out for good?
Only time will tell.
