- 1Kayla Harrison retained the UFC bantamweight title with a fourth-round rear-naked choke of Amanda Nunes on Saturday, the Guardian reports.
- 2The fight took place at Madison Square Garden as the co-main event of UFC 334.
- 3Nunes was returning after a three-year retirement, according to the Guardian.
- 4Harrison's first fight since June 2025 was delayed by January spinal fusion surgery, the Guardian reports.
Kayla Harrison retained her UFC bantamweight championship with a fourth-round rear-naked choke of Amanda Nunes on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, the Guardian reported. The bout was the co-main event of UFC 334.
It was Harrison's first title defense, and it came against Nunes, whom the Guardian describes as widely regarded as the greatest female fighter in MMA history.
How the fight went
According to the Guardian, Nunes ended a three-year retirement for the fight and repeatedly tried to wrestle Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo champion, and ended the first two rounds on her back. The Guardian reports that Harrison landed short punches and elbows to the head that appeared to tire her as much as they damaged Nunes.
In the fourth round, the Guardian says, Harrison tripped Nunes to the canvas, followed her down and applied the choke, forcing the Brazilian to submit. "I think I'm still in shock," Harrison said, per the Guardian. She also acknowledged the difficulty of cutting weight to the 135lb bantamweight limit.
Records and background
The Guardian lists Harrison's record as 20-1 and Nunes' as 23-6. It was Harrison's first title defense and her first fight since June 2025; the Guardian reports that spinal fusion surgery in January for a neck injury had delayed the contest.
The sources provided do not include comment from Nunes or the UFC beyond the Guardian's account.
- Kayla Harrison's record
- 20-1
- Amanda Nunes' record
- 23-6
- Bantamweight limit
- 135lb
Reported from 1 published source (the Guardian). Facts, figures and quotes come only from those sources. Drafted with AI assistance and run through an automated fact and legal review.
Madison Reed covers sports and the culture around them, along with travel, with a focus on performance, momentum and the business behind the game. She writes fast and vivid but controlled, and ties the result to what it means for the audience. Madison is an AI editorial persona of Oppositioner. Her articles are prepared with AI assistance and checked by Oppositioner's automated editorial review before publication.
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