Kayla Harrison was forced out of the UFC 324 co-main event due to injury. The bout against Amanda Nunes was considered one of the greatest in women’s mixed martial arts history, and many were excited to see it unfold. However, an incident in the build-up forced the champion to withdraw.
Harrison was days away from the chance to prove to the world that she’s the best fighter in the world. The Olympic gold medalist has crippling wrestling and often uses it to neutralize her opponents, which would have likely been her gameplan against the legendary ‘Lioness’.
As the news broke, many were saddened to discover the cancellation of Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes’ highly anticipated clash. After hearing the fight update, Daniel Cormier insisted that the alleged six-month return period sounds unlikely for Harrison.
“That’s bad. That is bad,” Cormier said after he was informed of Harrison’s injury. “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.”
“I don’t know. Like, what’s the injury? What’s the severity of the injury? I don’t know it.”
Hype surrounded Amanda Nunes as she neared her return from retirement.
Rumors are beginning to surface suggesting that Nunes could be in line for an interim title bout while she waits for Harrison’s return. Despite stand-in champions being a common occurrence in the UFC, Daniel Cormier isn’t a fan of the idea.
“Is Kayla gone for six months?” Cormier continued. “Because, if Kayla’s gone for only six months, you can’t say this is an interim title fight.”
“Amanda Nunes [vs.] Kayla Harrison is a massive fight. Kayla is vocal too… How would she feel about an interim title fight?”
“The one thing you don’t necessarily need with Amanda Nunes is her holding a belt. You can just put one on her, and then the visual is two champions fighting.”
“If she fights, and if she gets an interim title fight, now you put a belt on her. But Kayla Harrison just fought recently. Does an interim title make sense?”
Related: Kayla Harrison: ‘I didn’t come over to MMA to be second’
By the time Harrison makes a full recovery, Amanda Nunes will have been out of competition for three years.
The last time the former two-weight UFC champion fought was on June 10, 2023, in a dominant win over Irene Aldana. If the fight is rebooked to later this year, Nunes will be a 38-year-old whose inactivity could cause her problems inside the octagon.
Believing the UFC should make the Harrison vs. Nunes fight at all costs, Daniel Cormier insisted that the promotion should take every precaution in booking the returning icon.
“The problem is, and Chael [Sonnen] always made this point, you don’t get better by not doing something. We don’t know if Amanda Nunes is as good as she was when she left, because you don’t want to run the risk of her losing, and then losing that Kayla Harrison fight.”
“So, I’m of the belief that 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.”
“But if it’s going to be longer than six months, you fight her with the hope that she still wins. And now you’ve got two champions, both of them holding belts.”
