Nunes returns to fight Harrison at UFC 334

Nunes leaves retirement for Harrison

Amanda Nunes, the most successful women's mixed martial artist of all time, is coming out of retirement to fight Kayla Harrison at UFC 334 in New York on Saturday.

Nunes' dominant record

The Brazilian left the UFC in 2023 as a former featherweight and bantamweight champion, the only woman to hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously and the only fighter, male or female, to successfully…

What brought her back

Nunes said she was excited when Kayla Harrison signed with the UFC and she saw new challengers in the division. She had cleaned both divisions and had nothing left to do.

“Because I cleaned both divisions and didn't have anything to do any more. That was when I was sure I wanted to do this again.”

Who is Kayla Harrison

Harrison is a two-time Olympic gold medallist in judo who became a two-time PFL lightweight world champion after transitioning to MMA.

Friends turned rivals

The 36-year-old Harrison and 38-year-old Nunes are friends and former team-mates at American Top Team Gym, before Nunes left in 2022.

Nunes wants women's MMA back in spotlight

Nunes has won 23 of her 28 fights since her 2008 debut, with 13 victories via knockout. She holds 11 title fight wins, the most for a woman in UFC history alongside Valentina Shevchenko.

Women's fights rarely headline UFC events

Since Nunes' last bout against Irene Aldana, only one of 43 UFC numbered events has been headlined by women, Natalia Silva's win over Wang Cong at UFC 332 in October.

“I got upset when I left because I wanted to see the division grow. Back in the day, we put in so much work to this division. I want to make women's MMA great.”