A Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes fight may not be out of the question just yet.
A matchup between Harrison and the former two-division champion has been discussed for years – Harrison was a dominant force in the PFL before recently joining the UFC, while Nunes compiled a legendary 14-1 record and won UFC gold at 135 and 145 pounds – and the fact that the two train together at American Top Team in Florida adds to the intrigue.
However, Nunes retired in June 2023 after a dominant decision win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 – 10 months before Harrison made her debut with a stunning submission win over former champion Holly Holm at UFC 300. Harrison's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, now suggests Nunes' retirement had as much to do with Harrison's rise as it did with Nunes being satisfied with her own career.
“You have to understand that Amanda Nunes did it all,” Abdelaziz said. Submission RadioThe reason she retired was because Kayla was coming to UFC. She left ATT because Kayla was training there. She betrayed the people who really helped her, like Dan Lambert and Konnan. [Marcus Silveira] Everyone who helped Kayla rise to prominence and grow [Nunes] She knew she had to fight Amanda Nunes. Her biggest nightmare here was Kayla. That's why she retired. She's very proud of Kayla. She retired because of Kayla Harrison. And now she says she wants to come back. I don't think she'll come back. But it would be great if she did.
“She practiced several times. [with Harrison] And then what happened in the training room happened. She never wanted to train with Kayla again. She never wanted to spar with Kayla again. She left the team and started training alone. Every time Kayla came to the gym, she would leave. ATT was really [Nunes] “She turned her back on them because she thought Kayla was coming. And guess what? Kayla came. She was right when she said Kayla was coming, but she was the champion. She was the jewel of the gym, but she left the gym because she wasn't sure she could beat Kayla.”
Nunes poked fun at Harrison's UFC 300 win by expressing her disappointment on social media that she wasn't called upon during Harrison's post-fight speech. Harrison responded to Nunes' response: MMA Hour“She retired a while ago,” Harrison explained. “If Amanda was still here and had the belt, I would have called Amanda Nunes. But for all intents and purposes, I think she's happily retired and living her best life.”
Nunes has not made any serious moves regarding a return since retiring, and Abdelaziz doesn't think whether “The Lioness” fights again will have any impact on Harrison's legacy.
When asked if Harrison and Nunes would fight, Abdelaziz replied, “I don't know.” “Amanda has missed the attention and I think having me and you and the media talking about it might put enough pressure on her and give her a little boost in her ego to come back.”
“But it doesn't matter. If she wants to come back, she can. She's just going to accept this defeat and retire again.”
Harrison was already a celebrated fighter before he signed with UFC. The 33-year-old became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo at the 2012 London Games and then won again in Rio de Janeiro four years later, becoming the first American to win two gold medals in that event. He then went on to win two PFL tournaments at 155 pounds.
Given Harrison's incredible achievements, Abdelaziz believes she could become one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts and one day surpass the fame of Ronda Rousey, Harrison's former judo training partner.
“Honestly, Ronda is cool, but compared to Ronda, I think Kayla is a 4.0,” Abdelaziz said. “It's not the same skill, it's not the same work ethic, it's not the same heart. She's a better fighter than Ronda was, and always will be. This is just my humble opinion. I don't mean to disparage Ronda. She's a legend, but in her prime, Kayla was a 4.0.” [vs.] In my opinion, if Ronda was in her prime, Kayla would kill her in a fight.
“Kayla will be the biggest female star of all time, I believe that. … Ronda can't fight like Kayla. Kayla never gives up. Kayla has always fought, in the tough fights. She's fought a lot of women on steroids and beat them all. But the reality is, like with Khabib, it's only a matter of time. Nobody wanted to fight him. … I think she's that type of fighter. She's the type of fighter that people avoid, but one day you'll run out of options and you'll have to face her.”
