Kayla Harrison had barely emerged from the Octagon at T-Mobile Arena last Saturday when a series of cell phones were thrust into her face, all displaying the same social media post.
Everyone asked the same question. “Did you see this?”
The post comes from former UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes, who posted a selfie of Harrison giving her victory speech after her dominant win over Holly Holm at UFC 300. Nunes seemed to be expecting a call from Harrison, and she was disappointed. Her name was not mentioned. She then posted an image promoting a long list of victims with the caption “The GOAT.”
“I was hoping she would chat,” Harrison said Monday. MMA hour. “I was expecting her and the other person to do that.'' [chirp]”
Another, Cris Cyborg, came close to booking a fight with Harrison in the PFL. However, the fight never materialized, and Harrison signed with the UFC, so most of the fights took place over the internet. Cyborg piggybacked on Nunes' message and called for the winner of the fight, which was impossible given her PFL contract and dramatic exit from the UFC.
But Nunes' development was even more interesting. Harrison thought “The Lioness” was retired, which is why he didn't issue a callout after he defeated Holm.
“She's been retired for a while,” Harrison said. “If Amanda was still here and she had the belt, I would have called Amanda Nunes. But guess what? But I thought she was happily retired and living her best life.”
Harrison's UFC career could change quickly as Nunes has hinted at a return. Having stomped on her Holm, it's clear she's the frontrunner. However, a title fight between current bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington and former champion Juliana Pena is scheduled for later this year. If Nunes returns to fight the winner, Harrison's title campaign could possibly be delayed by a year.
Or can it?
“I heard that 'Rocky' suddenly got injured. If she can't fight now, she's willing to fight anyone this summer,” Harrison said.
Pennington did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MMA Fighting. However, Pena recently echoed Harrison, saying his expected title shot against Pennington could be delayed until October.
What does that mean? Anything can happen in Harrison's future. She likes the idea of having an interim title fight with Pena at UFC 303 on June 29th.
“And in the end we're going to unify and fight Amanda,” she said.
She said there would be plenty of promotional ammunition if Harrison were to fight Nunes, a former teammate on American Top Team. The two shared training space for several years while she transitioned from judo to MMA, and Nunes dominated the UFC's bantamweight and featherweight divisions.
Nunes abruptly left ATT in early 2022, and speculation quickly arose with Harrison being cited as one of the reasons.
Of course, Harrison can't speak for Nunes, but he admits that at some point they became rivals rather than colleagues.
“Amanda's biggest enemy is her own mind,” Harrison said. “I think Amanda's biggest enemy is her own mind. She knew in her head that I was coming for her. After she lost to Julianna, she knew that I was going to be in the cage. I think she thought everyone on the team was against her, but it wasn't true, it wasn't true. That's not true. Even though I wanted to go, everyone on the team was trying their best to keep us in another organization. [from the PFL to the UFC] Then; I was like, “I'm out, let's go.”I think it was still 145 [division in the UFC]. I was like, “Okay, let's try this.”
“So I think it just left a bad aftertaste in her own mind. She just had a different image of what was going on behind the scenes than it actually was, and she didn't want anyone to know. I didn't ask, I just kind of guessed and left. I don't have any ill will towards Amanda. I think she's great. There's a reason she's a goat. I don't think the bad language she used against my team is fair or appropriate and I don't respect it and I personally don't like it, but other than that… ”
Harrison doesn't know if he'll fight Nunes next, Pena, or Pennington. Her first priority is winning the UFC title. If she manages to defeat the GOAT, it could harm either of them.
But yes, she got Nunes' message loud and clear. Whether they meet later this year, next year, or at all, she's ready to prove she's the better fighter than anyone, past or present. There is.
