Amanda Nunes is set to return from more than three years of retirement to challenge Kayla Harrison for the UFC women’s bantamweight title Saturday at UFC 334 in New York, a matchup delayed by Harrison’s spinal surgery.

According to Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, Harrison is seeking her first successful title defence, while Nunes is pursuing a third reign as bantamweight champion. The former teammates bring contrasting strengths and significant questions about their readiness for a five-round fight.

Their original meeting was scheduled for January at UFC 324. Harrison withdrew two weeks before that bout after worsening symptoms, including severe nerve pain and extreme arm weakness, required a two-level spinal fusion. Sportsnet reports that the 36-year-old is coming off her fourth surgery in as many years.

The postponement pushed the matchup back 10 months, stretching the interval between women’s bantamweight title fights to nearly a year and a half.

Nunes, 38, previously held the UFC’s bantamweight and featherweight championships simultaneously. After submitting Miesha Tate to capture her first bantamweight belt at UFC 200, she made five successful defences during that reign. She also won the featherweight championship and defended it twice.

Her record includes victories over Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm, with knockout power a defining part of her success.

Harrison brings a different foundation: two Olympic judo gold medals and a successful run in the Professional Fighters League before joining the UFC. Zwelling’s analysis identifies the distance between the fighters as a central tactical question, with Nunes favoured at striking range and Harrison’s grappling presenting the greater threat in close.

Both also face questions about endurance. Harrison has reached championship rounds only twice, winning one PFL meeting with Larissa Pacheco and losing another. Her demanding cut to the 135-pound limit adds another consideration.

Nunes has extensive five-round experience, but last completed that distance in 2023. Her lengthy retirement leaves uncertainty about how she will handle a potential 25-minute contest.

Their shared history at American Top Team adds another variable. Although Saturday marks their first official fight against each other, both have experience of the other’s skills from training together years earlier.

Sources