Amanda Nunes breaks silence on Kayla Harrison injury, what comes next
Amanda Nunes wants Kayla Harrison, that’s for sure. But she wants something else more.
Nunes on Tuesday said in a video posted by the UFC on social media that her return from retirement still is a go, even though Kayla Harrison had to pull out of their fight this week with a neck injury.
But what Nunes said she wants more than a fight with Harrison – arguably the biggest women’s fight in MMA history – is to have a UFC title back around her waist. Nunes said she’ll wait for Harrison to heal before she tries to return, herself.
The only exception, she said, would be if Harrison has to be out longer and the UFC strips her of the title. She wants a shot at the belt, or Harrison. If both at the same time is how it has to be, then so be it.
Only the gold for The Lioness! 🦁@Amanda_Leoa wants nothing but the UFC title as she moves forward! #UFC324pic.twitter.com/UJEhBQcDWu
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) January 21, 2026
UFC women’s bantamweight champ Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is expected to keep out for at least six months. Harrison won the title by stopping Julianna Peña at UFC 316 in June. A six-month delay, on the short end of the expected recovery time, would put her a year from her last fight.
Former two-division champ Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) hasn’t competed since June 2023, and was just days away from a return from retirement, straight into one of the best possible matchups in women’s MMA today.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 324: Amanda Nunes breaks silence on what’s next after cancellation
