With Kayla Harrison forced out of UFC 324 due to a neck injury, Dana White and the matchmakers are now staring at an expensive, high-stakes dilemma involving one of the biggest names the sport has ever produced: Amanda Nunes.
This was supposed to be clean. A co-main event strong enough to anchor the UFC’s long-awaited Paramount+ debut on January 24 at T-Mobile Arena. Instead, less than two weeks out, the promotion is scrambling. So the obvious question follows: do you replace Kayla Harrison, or do you hit pause on Amanda Nunes’ comeback entirely?
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As the news spread, early chatter hinted at a possible replacement. MMA journalist Guilherme Cruz reported on X, “Don’t think it happens but I’m told Norma Dumont is offering her services as a replacement.”
Norma Dumont currently sits at No. 3 in the UFC women’s bantamweight rankings. She’s riding a six-fight win streak and is coming off a November 2025 victory over Ketlen Vieira. On paper, she’s active, ranked, and available. But is she the right fight for Amanda Nunes? And more importantly, is she the fight Nunes signed up for?
Former UFC fighter Diana Belbita posed the question many were already asking on X: “Kayla Harrison is out of the #UFC324 co-main event, who do you think the UFC would call as a backup to face Amanda Nunes?”
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The response from Marcel Dorff was blunt: “Nobody. They gonna reschedule that. I’d be VERY surprised if they do something else.” Belbita then raised the financial elephant in the room. “UFC has to pay Amanda even if the fight doesn’t happen. Do you think they are happy to pay her a lot of money without a fight?”
That line cuts to the heart of Dana White’s problem. Replacing Harrison with Dumont may solve a scheduling issue, but it risks undermining the entire narrative. Does a short-notice fight against Dumont carry the same weight? Does it justify the reported purse Nunes commands? And if Nunes wins, does it actually move the division forward?
From the UFC’s perspective, there’s also the Paramount+ launch to consider. UFC 324 isn’t just another pay-per-view. It’s the first event of a seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcast partnership. The card is already anchored by Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title, but losing a historic women’s co-main event weakens the overall presentation, and according to Daniel Cormier, even an interim women’s bantamweight title bout doesn’t seem like a good option for Nunes.
Daniel Cormier is against an interim title fight for Amanda Nunes
As the news broke, Daniel Cormier didn’t sugarcoat his concern. “That’s bad. That is bad,” he said. Drawing from experience, the former ‘champ-champ’ added, “My wrestling coach, Kevin Jackson, had neck surgery, and it took him a little bit longer, or much longer, than six months to get back.”
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And that’s where the uncertainty creeps in. Is Harrison really only gone for six months? Even Cormier admits, “I don’t know. Like, what’s the injury? What’s the severity of the injury? I don’t know it.” Without clarity, rumors of an interim title bout for Nunes have started to swirl, but should they?
Cormier isn’t convinced. “If Kayla’s gone for only six months, you can’t say this is an interim title fight,” he argued. “Amanda Nunes vs. Kayla Harrison is a massive fight… “ Then came the blunt truth: “The one thing you don’t necessarily need with Amanda Nunes is her holding a belt.”
MMA: UFC 269-Nunes vs Pena, Dec 11, 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Amanda Nunes fights against Julianna Pena during UFC 269 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports, 11.12.2021 20:57:15, 17343078, Amanda Nunes, T-Mobile Arena, NPStrans, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xStephenxR.xSylvaniex 17343078
Adding to the concern is the fact that with the rumored timeline, it’ll have been 3 years since Nunes last stepped inside the Octagon. That matters. That’s why Cormier further added that the UFC and Dana White should maintain their caution while trying to set up a return for the women’s MMA legend.
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According to him, “If you can justify an interim title fight and you feel safe that Amanda will be okay and get it done, and Kayla’s only gone for six months, you don’t fight her. If she’s only gone for six months, you don’t fight her.”
However, if the return timeline exceeds 6 months, “You fight her with the hope that she still wins. And now you’ve got two champions, both of them holding belts.”
That’s the tightrope Dana White now walks: wait too long and stall momentum, move too fast and undermine the very fight fans are waiting for. For now, the safest answer may also be the hardest one. Protect the matchup and accept that sometimes, even a $7.7 billion launch has to bend to reality. What do you think? Should the UFC book a replacement fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The post Dana White’s UFC Faces Costly Amanda Nunes Dilemma as Kayla Harrison Pullout Triggers Replacement Offer appeared first on EssentiallySports.
