Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes, the fight many have hailed as the greatest women’s bout in MMA history, has been scratched from UFC 324 due to a neck injury suffered by Harrison. Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani confirmed the news Wednesday following an initial report by The Eagle Tribune.
Harrison was reportedly forced to withdraw from the bout after undergoing surgery on herniated discs in her neck under doctor’s orders. As a result, Nunes may also potentially be removed from the Jan. 24 card, which marks the kickoff of UFC’s new seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcast partnership with Paramount and CBS, although top UFC bantamweight contender Norma Dumont has volunteered to step in and face Nunes on short notice at UFC 324.
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Harrison could reportedly be sidelined by the injury for at least six months.
Harrison (19-1), Uncrowned’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, was set to defend her UFC bantamweight championship in a long-awaited co-main event matchup against UFC Hall of Famer and former teammate Nunes (23-5), who aimed to return to MMA after a two-year retirement.
A two-time Olympic judoka champion and two-time PFL tournament champion, Harrison, 35, has been spectacular thus far in her UFC career, winning all three of her bouts, punctuated by dominant submissions of former champions Holly Holm and Julianna Peña. The latter victory earned Harrison the UFC bantamweight belt in June and set the stage for Nunes to emerge from retirement and challenge her old American Top Team squadmate in a genuine superfight.
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Nunes, 37, is widely considered the greatest women’s fighter to ever compete in MMA. A former UFC bantamweight and featherweight titleholder, Nunes reigned as champion across one or both divisions from 2016-2023 for one of the most dominant runs in promotional history — a run that saw her go 11-1 across 12 title bouts, with her only loss coming in an upset against Peña which Nunes swiftly avenged.
Nunes’ star-studded hit list also includes former champs Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate, Valentina Shevchenko (x2), Germaine de Randamie, Raquel Pennington, Holm and more.
The Brazilian legend, who in 2025 was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, must now wait to make her in-cage comeback until at least the second half of 2026 unless she accepts a short-notice fight to keep her spot on UFC 324.
