One of the biggest MMA matchups of the year will have to wait.
A January 24 meeting between current UFC Bantamweight Champion Kayla Harrison and the returning Amanda Nunes, widely regarded as one of the best women’s MMA fighters of all time, has reportedly been cancelled.
Reports from the Massachusetts paper The Eagle Tribune as well as Brazilian reporter Leo Guimaraes have recently claimed that Harrison has withdrawn from the super-fight due to an injury.
The Eagle Tribune’s Bill Burt specifically stated that Harrison is out of the booking due to injury. The champ reportedly had surgery this week to treat herniated discs in her neck. It’s expected that she’ll need up to six months to recover due to the setback, the report said.
The change deals a significant blow to UFC 324, the promotion’s first-ever event since beginning a multi-year, seven-billion-dollar rights deal with Paramount.
After Harrison took the bantamweight title off Julianna Pena last June, many believed that a matchup against record-setting champ Nunes was next. Although Nunes had already retired from MMA by last summer, she had only been inactive for a couple of years and had kept a close proximity to the sport in that time.
The now-cancelled matchup paired two women who have seen utter athletic dominance in higher weight classes over the years.
Harrison, an Olympic gold medalist in Judo, joined the UFC ranks in 2024 after a nearly-perfect run in the PFL. Once she made it to the UFC, it took just three appearances before gold was around her waist.
Nunes’ first reign with the bantamweight title clocked in at 1,981 days, the longest for any woman in UFC history and the fourth-longest title reign in the promotion regardless of gender. Her record includes wins over fellow legends like Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey, and Miesha Tate.
Nunes was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame after her first retirement in 2023.
Harrison vs. Nunes was scheduled for the co-main event spot of UFC 324. The event is still scheduled to feature an interim lightweight title bout between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett in the headlining spot.
