UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison has received a positive update about her return to the Octagon.
Harrison was set to fight former training partner and UFC legend Amanda Nunes earlier this year at UFC 324, but due to a neck injury, she was forced off the card and the fight was postponed.
Now that Harrison has had successful neck surgery, she has been slowly working herself back to fighting shape in the gym at American Top Team, and the hope is that she can return before 2026 is up and make the first defense of her UFC belt.
Kayla Harrison UFC Return Update
Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Harrison’s manager Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA offered a positive update on the champ, confirming that his client will fight again before 2026 is up.
“Yeah, she will fight this year for sure. Towards the end of the year, she will fight, but I’m the one honestly, I said, ‘You know what? I want you to take your time, don’t rush, be healthy.’ That’s the most important thing for her to do. Why does she need to rush? She’s the champion, everybody is chasing her, they have to wait for her,” Abdelaziz said.
Kayla Harrison’s UFC Career Thus Far
Harrison made her UFC debut in April 2024 when she defeated former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm via decision at UFC 300 in what was a dominant victory.
In her second UFC bout, Harrison beat Ketlen Vieira via decision at UFC 307 in October 2024 in what was a closer fight, but still one that she got her hand raised in.
Then, Harrison got a title shot against then-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena, and she had her best UFC performance yet as she submitted Pena with a second-round kimura at UFC 316 in June 2025.
She was then slated to fight her former ATT teammate Nunes — widely regarded as the greatest women’s MMA fighter of all time — at UFC 324 in January 2026, but the fight was postponed due to Harrison’s neck injury. Now, the hope is that this fight can be rebooked before the year is up, since she’s getting healthy again.
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