Kayla Harrison opens up about her neck surgery, Amanda Nunes fight withdrawal and rebooking for UFC 334

Kayla Harrison has opened up about the challenges she faced leading up to her withdrawal from her fight against Amanda Nunes that was to take place at UFC 324 in January. 

The American athlete suggested that she tried her best to deal with her neck injury and make it to the fight against Nunes, but she ultimately had to get surgery to safeguard her health. 

Kayla Harrison's withdrawal from Amanda Nunes fight at UFC 324

Kayla Harrison was booked to defend her UFC women's bantamweight title against former UFC women's bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 on January 24.

It would've marked Nunes's maiden MMA matchup since she retired from the sport back in 2023. However, Harrison pulled out of the match, owing to a neck injury, and subsequently underwent surgery. 

She extensively worked toward her recovery, and her title clash against Nunes has been rebooked for UFC 334, which goes down next month. 

Kayla Harrison talks neck surgery ahead of UFC 334 return against Amanda Nunes

In an edition of the Deep Waters Podcast on UFC on Paramount, Kayla Harrison recounted the obstacles she overcame -- right from her neck injury to surgery. Revealing what happened in the buildup to UFC 324, the former PFL women's lightweight champion stated: 

"I was trying to make it to my fight. So this is two weeks before I'm supposed to fight Amanda. I can't lift my arm. I'm getting lightning bolts. The last five days, I think I slept maybe, like, three hours. 'Cause I would fall asleep, and then the lightning bolts... It's the worst pain ever." 

The 36-year-old added, "So finally, UFC was like, 'Go to New York.' I flew to New York. The doctor looked at all the stuff... He was like, 'Yeah. You need surgery now. When do you want to have it?' I was like, 'As soon as possible.'" 

Harrison further recounted the scary experience, noting that she was alone in New York, "Uber'd to the hospital the next day," and didn't exactly know what lay ahead. Harrison added, "I didn't know anything. I was like, 'Get me out of pain, and get me on the road to recovery as fast as you can.'" 

Presently, Harrison is scheduled to put her UFC women's bantamweight title at stake against Amanda Nunes. It'll mark Harrison's first fight since her neck surgery and Nunes's first since her retirement in 2023.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist Judoka has vowed to defeat her former training partner, ex-ATT (American Top Team) member Nunes. The duo will co-headline UFC 334 at the iconic Madison Square Garden (MSG) venue in New York City on November 14. 

Watch Kayla Harrison discuss her neck surgery ordeal below: 

Kayla Harrison explains how her neck surgery came about and why she had to withdraw from her fight against Amanda Nunes https://t.co/G4ym8ogZOv

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) October 12, 2026