Harrison spoils Nunes' return, submits ex-champion to retain UFC crown

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  Jeff WagenheimNov 15, 2026, 12:25 AM ET

Kayla Harrison has been UFC women's bantamweight champion for nearly a year and a half. But her belt shines brighter after she roughed up Amanda Nunes on the canvas and choked out the former two-division champion at UFC 334 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Harrison (20-1) landed takedowns in each of the first two rounds to turn the tide after Nunes (23-6) had seized advantage in the standup fighting. Even after Nunes was the one getting the takedown in Round 3, Harrison reversed position and again took control. The end came early in Round 4, when Harrison won another grappling scramble, immobilized a prone Nunes on the canvas and sunk in a rear-naked choke to elicit the tapout at 1 minute, 29 seconds of the round.

"It feels surreal," Harrison said afterward in the cage. "Sometimes I can't believe my life. I was sexually abused at a young age, and statistically I'm not supposed to be here."

Harrison, 36, had to overcome a physical challenge even to make it to the cage for Saturday's bout. She won the title in June 2025 by submitting Julianna Pena but had not fought since. She was scheduled to defend the title against Nunes in January, but Harrison withdrew to have surgery on herniated discs in her neck.

When they finally met in the cage at UFC 334, Nunes was fighting for the first time in 3½ years. The 38-year-old from Brazil won the bantamweight title in 2016 and added the featherweight belt in 2018. She lost the bantamweight championship to Pena in 2021 after five successful title defenses, then regained it in a rematch seven months later. After one more title defense, she retired following a decision win over Irene Aldana in June 2023.

After winning gold medals in judo in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Harrison began her MMA career by training at the South Florida gym of American Top Team, also the training home of Nunes. Coaches there say they did little training together, but a collision course seemed inevitable, even while Harrison was spending her early career with the PFL. When Harrison came to the UFC and won the title, Nunes was brought into the Octagon from cageside for the two to face off.

When the fight finally happened, it took the form of two fights at once. When they were standing and trading, Nunes had the clear advantage, bloodying the champion's lip with a punch and putting her on retreat. However, Nunes continually pursued grappling exchanges, and Harrison took advantage every time.

Harrison's biggest struggle was the same one she has faced in each of her UFC bouts. After competing in the PFL mostly as a 155-pound lightweight, she has had to cut to the bantamweight limit of 135 pounds for her UFC fights. She has spoken about the weight cut being too much for her to continue her career.