UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison says her return to active competition is imminent after recovering from neck surgery.
Harrison was set to fight rival Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 in January, which was the UFC’s debut on Paramount+. Unfortunately for Harrison, she was forced to withdraw from the bout due to undergoing neck surgery, and she has been sitting out on the sidelines ever since. However, it appears that her return to the Octagon is finally here.
Speaking to American Top Team teammate Dustin Poirier ahead of UFC Vegas 116, Harrison said that she is back to training and her return to the cage will be coming very soon.
“Oh, your girl’s back, baby, I’m back,” Harrison said. “I’m not going to make any announcements, but yeah, I think there’s a timeline. I’m back, I’m back on the mats, feeling good. I was sore as all get out last week. Last week was like my first week back training. But yeah, I’m feeling good. I just feel really blessed to be able to do what I love and be able to come back. You never know, with surgery, you never know, but especially with the neck, it’s a scary thing. So, I’m happy.”
Kayla Harrison is Undefeated in the UFC
Harrison made her UFC debut in 2024, and since she entered the Octagon, she holds a perfect 3-0 record with wins over Julianna Pena, Ketlen Vieira, and Holly Holm, which are three quality victories to have on anyone’s resume. The win over Pena earned Harrison the UFC women’s bantamweight title, and she was set to fight Nunes in her first title defense before withdrawing due to her neck surgery. Now that she is healthy, the hope is that this fight can get booked soon.
As Harrison stated, she was not ready to announce her return date, but taking a look at the UFC calendar, there are a few dates that stand out for a potential return. July’s UFC 329 event in Las Vegas is an option, but UFC 330 in Philadelphia in August could be a better target date for Harrison’s return, as it would give her an extra month to train. There will be more UFC numbered events in the fall, with rumored dates of Las Vegas and Phoenix in September. But taking a look at the calendar right now, a co-main event slot at UFC 330, behind a potential headlining fight between UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry, makes sense.
Amanda Nunes Returns After Three-Year Layoff
Nunes has not fought since UFC 289 in June 2023, when she retired following a dominant decision win over Irene Aldana. At that point, Nunes felt like she had no challengers for her title, and she chose to vacate the UFC women’s bantamweight belt instead. But with Harrison joining the UFC a year later and dominating in her three fights since then, it only made sense that Nunes returned to the UFC to take on her rival. Nunes and Harrison used to train together at American Top Team, but Nunes chose to leave the gym and start her own camp instead. These two bitter rivals do not see eye-to-eye, and when they fight, the fans will surely enjoy seeing them punch each other in the face.
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