UFC 334: Kayla Harrison spoils Amanda Nunes’ return with legacy-changing fourth-round submission
There was a time this year when Kayla Harrison was not medically cleared to deadlift 20 pounds due to neck surgery. That didn’t stop her from defeating a women’s MMA legend in an all-time legacy clash.
A difficult year for the UFC bantamweight champion culminated with a victory over former champion Amanda Nunes via fourth-round submission (rear naked choke) at UFC 334. In just a few seconds, the two-time Olympic judo champion established herself as one of the best to ever succeed in MMA.
Nunes, who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame last year, came out of retirement for the fight after a three-and-a-half-year layoff.
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A Harrison-Nunes fight had been planned since Harrison won the Brazilian’s former title from Julianna Peña at UFC 316 in June 2025. It had been anticipated for even longer, dating back to the days when Nunes was knocking out every other challenger in two UFC divisions while Harrison was playing for the PFL.
Serious neck problems for Harrison left fans waiting a year and a half for the fight, which eventually arrived as a co-main event at Madison Square Garden.
Amanda Nunes gave Kayla Harrison the fight she wanted
Nunes had the advantage early on as both fighters stayed on their feet, landing more than a few hard strikes. That advantage melted away after about three minutes, when Harrison trapped her on the ground and threw dozens of low-powered shots into her face.
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The second round began with Nunes seemingly trying to prove his point by wrestling Harrison, which did not go well. That was hardly a surprise against Harrison, who remains the only American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo (2012 and 2012) and who possesses significant weight as a former lightweight who somehow finds a way to get down to 135 pounds.
Once again, Harrison placed Nunes in a crucifix and continued shooting. They didn’t do much damage, but that’s why the stats say Harrison landed 169 total strikes compared to Nunes’ 62.
The third round went better for Nunes against a visibly gassed Harrison until, well, you could probably guess. Harrison had control of the field at the end of the round, and this time he landed shots that actually did damage. A huge elbow opened a cut above Nunes’ right eye.
Then came the fourth round, which tended toward the same flow until Harrison shook Harrison, grabbed a foot of Nunes, knocked her off balance and picked her up. Nunes tapped out almost immediately.
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The fight was the kind of wrestling war that favored Harrison, almost by choice on Nunes’ part. Maybe it was a tactical move to wear the champion out after her months of rehabilitation and pain, or maybe it was pride on the part of a living legend, but it can no longer be called a winning strategy today.
Is this for Kayla Harrison? Or Amanda Nunes?
What adds to the drama of the fight is that it’s unclear whether we’ll see either fighter in the Octagon again.
Nunes can obviously do whatever she wants, but there’s not much to gain by returning to the contender pool at age 38. Harrison, meanwhile, has talked about retirement in the past and was forced to face extremely difficult weight cuts just to compete in the UFC’s heaviest women’s division at bantamweight.
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Asked about a possible retirement after the fight, Harrison was noncommittal:
“I have a lot of decisions to make when I get home. Every time I make weight I say never again, so we’ll see. I definitely have some injuries from this fight, I’ll have to heal.”
She did, however, offer some perspective on a life that reached heights she could never have expected:
“Sometimes I can’t believe my life. I was sexually assaulted when I was young. Statistically, I’m not supposed to be here. To go from there, if you told me at six years old that this would be my life, if you told me at 16 years old that this would be my life, I wouldn’t believe you. I’m really, really grateful.”
Check out complete UFC 334 results and highlights from Uncrown’s Fight Night Event Center.
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