A women’s bantamweight title bout between champion Kayla Harrison and former two-time titleholder Amanda Nunes was scheduled for the UFC 324 co-main event next weekend, but an injury forced Harrison out of the fight.
Harrison underwent neck surgery on Wednesday to repair herniated discs and released a video statement on Thursday from the hospital.
“Hi guys. I just wanted to give a bit of an update on my end. This is a tough one,” she said in the video. “I had to have surgery on my neck yesterday here in New York City with a specialist, Dr. Kim. Yeah, so in lieu of that obviously we’re going to have to reschedule the fight.
“I just want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry to Amanda. I was really looking forward to it, and I just want to thank everyone. I want to thank the UFC for taking such good care of me … I want to thank my mom who is taking care of my kids at home. I want to thank all of my coaches at America Top Team and all my teammates.”
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It’s unclear how long Harrison will be sidelined. Recovery from herniated disc surgery can take anywhere from two to six months depending on the complexity of the procedure.
“This is day one of recovery and the road back starts now,” Harrison said. “I don’t know God’s plans. I know he knows that this is my dream, so I’ve got to praise him in the mountains and I’ve got to praise him in the valleys. And so, I’m grateful for this. I hope that it brings me closer to him and that he uses this story in a mighty way. Yep. That’s it. I’m sorry guys. I’ll be back soon.”
