“Hungry, Staunch, Thug?” - Ex-UFC Champ Shares Definitive Prediction for Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes
Former middleweight kingpin, for his part, believes Nunes could beat Kayla Harrison, and her striking would be the factor that makes the difference.
UFC 334 sets the stage for the return of the consensus women's MMA GOAT, Amanda Nunes. But will she triumph over the dominant Kayla Harrison as she comes back after a lengthy retirement? A former UFC Middleweight Champion believes Nunes could pull it off.
The legendary Brazilian is one of the most dominant champions MMA has ever seen and boasts wins over bona fide legends across eras, to boot. Harrison, on the other hand, is a two-time Olympic gold medal-winning judoka who has been a force to reckon with in the UFC, going undefeated in all three of her fights so far.
There are several narratives surrounding the matchup. From the classic striker-vs.-grappler dynamic to questions over whether ring rust will plague the ‘Lioness’ in her return and tilt the fight in Harrison's favour, there is plenty to unpack. Former middleweight kingpin Robert Whittaker, for his part, believes Nunes could pull it off, and her striking would be the factor that makes the difference.
Robert Whittaker Picks Amanda Nunes to Stop Kayla Harrison
Robert Whittaker believes the entire story of the fight could change depending on which version of Amanda Nunes shows up at UFC 334.
As ‘The Reaper’ sees it, if the version of Nunes from early in her career, who used to string together knockout victories, makes the return, it could be game over for Harrison. The Australian is convinced that this version of the ‘Lioness’ not only has the physical prowess to hold her own against a formidable grappler in Harrison, but is also a nightmare of an entirely different level for the judoka to deal with on the feet.
Discussing the UFC 334 co-main event during a recent segment of the MMArcade podcast, Whittaker said:
"That is the whole fight. Are we gonna get a hungry, staunch, thug Nunes? Or are we gonna get that last couple of fights Nunes, where she's just doing enough to win? The thing is, as well with Kayla Harrison is, man, the weight cut is so hard for her, and there's nowhere to go. Harrison's an athlete. Nunes is a thug, dude. I have Nunes in this because I think prime Nunes physically can hold her own against Harrison. But on the feet, it's such a nightmare to deal with... TKO."
Amanda Nunes Reaffirms Her plans to keep fighting after UFC 334
Leading up to UFC 334, Amanda Nunes has been adamant that this is no one-off appearance for her. Having come out of retirement, the Lioness has her sights firmly set on reclaiming the championship and defending her belt for as long as she possibly can.
Earlier this week, during a sit-down with Brian Campbell for UFC on Paramount, Nunes was asked whether sticking around beyond UFC 334 had always been part of the plan. The Brazilian responded:
“I'm a fighter, man. This is the huge difference between me and Kayla. She's an athlete. I'm a fighter. I'm here to get the belt and fight until my body tells me to stop again. I'm not here as the challenger. You're not talking with the challenger. You're talking with the double champion.”
Check out Amanda Nunes' comments below (4:36):
