The co-main event pitted the reigning champion against Nunes, who returned to the Octagon after a three-year retirement. Nunes held the bantamweight and featherweight titles before leaving the sport in June 2023.
The historic championship clash brought together two titans of women’s mixed martial arts. Before her departure, Nunes established herself as the most decorated woman in MMA history, earning eight total title defenses across two weight divisions and standing as the only fighter, male or female, to successfully defend belts simultaneously in two different classes. Her storied career featured victories over legendary competitors such as Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Valentina Shevchenko.
THE GREATEST WOMEN'S FIGHT OF ALL-TIME 😤 [ #UFC334 SAT Nov 14 | LIVE on @paramountplus ] pic.twitter.com/XO2AAGExYM
Although Julianna Peña temporarily stunned the sport by defeating Nunes in 2021, the Brazilian reclaimed her gold just eight months later. After securing a decision win over Irene Aldana in June 2023, Nunes left two championship belts in the center of the cage and walked away, feeling she had accomplished everything the sport had to offer and desiring more time with her wife to raise their two young daughters.
Nunes ultimately decided to end her retirement when Kayla Harrison arrived in the division and captured the championship. Viewing Harrison as the second-greatest female fighter in MMA history and recognizing that she possessed the bantamweight belt, Nunes stepped back into competition to challenge her.
The event carried deep personal history, as Harrison made her professional MMA debut in 2018 while training alongside Nunes at the American Top Team facility in Coconut Creek, Florida. Leading up to the bout at Madison Square Garden, the crowd uncharacteristically favored the returning Brazilian challenger. Betting markets treated the matchup essentially as a coin toss, with Harrison listed as a -158 favorite and Nunes entering as a +134 underdog.
Harrison controlled the grappling exchanges throughout the bout. After Nunes enjoyed success in the stand-up striking during the opening rounds, Harrison secured takedowns in each of the first two rounds to shift the momentum.
Using her world-class judo and wrestling background, the champion repeatedly neutralized the challenger’s dangerous striking by dragging the fight to the canvas and trapping Nunes in crucifix positions while landing short strikes. Even when Nunes reversed position or secured a takedown in the middle of the Octagon during the middle frames, Harrison consistently worked her way back to dominant positions and accumulated total strikes.
The finish arrived at 1 minute, 29 seconds of the fourth round. Harrison capitalized on a grappling scramble, took Nunes’ back, and locked in the rear-naked choke to force the tapout before the Brazilian’s belly even touched the canvas.
“It feels surreal,” Harrison said afterward in the cage, “Sometimes I can’t believe my life. I was sexually abused at a young age, and statistically I’m not supposed to be here.” She added, “I’m humbled and it’s an honor and a privilege to stand before you.”
The victory advanced Harrison’s professional record to 20-1, while Nunes moved to 23-6 following her comeback appearance. While Nunes walked out of the Octagon entirely on her own power, a victorious but visibly weakened Harrison required assistance returning to the locker room with the championship belt firmly around her waist.
She had been scheduled to defend the belt against Nunes in January, but she withdrew to undergo major spinal fusion surgery to replace a herniated disc in her neck. The grueling weight cut to the 135-pound bantamweight limit took a heavy physical toll on the champion, who landed short punches and elbows that tired herself out as much as they damaged Nunes.
Addressing her future after the demanding weight cut and championship battle, Harrison remained noncommittal when speaking with reporters.
“I’ve got a lot of decisions to make when I get home,” she said, noting that every time she makes the weight limit she questions whether she will do it again. “… We’ll see.” She indicated that she needed time to rest and recover from her injuries before determining her next steps in the sport.
Earlier coverage: Ciryl Gane Defeats Josh Hokit via Unanimous Decision at UFC 334
Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes are going at it 👀 🗣️ Kayla: "You are the greatest… for now. Saturday night that changes." 🗣️ Amanda: "You think I'm scared of you Kayla?" 🗣️ Kayla: "I don't care if you're scared of me or not." [ #UFC334 SAT Nov 14 | LIVE on @paramountplus ] pic.twitter.com/3mViMsKzcS
More on Kayla Harrison
Man. That was a long time to wait for a fight, only to see Amanda Nunes take away her own best weapons. Credit to Kayla Harrison of course but sure would have loved to see a different fight there.
Fairytale finishes 🤩 @KaylaH & @WonderboyMMA showed out to earn POTN bonuses at #Polymarket #UFC334! [ B2YB @STC_Canada ] pic.twitter.com/UA5eLDU0oo
In case there was any doubt. [ @KaylaH | #Polymarket #UFC334 | LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/JbbxOnpLrj
—On a brand new episode today, I am joined by the Champion Kayla Harrison as she gets ready to fight Amanda Nunes, and what will be the greatest women’s fight of all time. There’s a lot of history with these two women. Kayla and I spoke about that and so much more in this… pic.twitter.com/wd1Vc6opkt
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