Kayla Harrison defended her bantamweight title by submitting returning great Amanda Nunes in the fourth round at UFC 334 in New York, according to “Yahoo Sports”.
Nunes came out of retirement after stepping away in 2023, enticed by the challenge of facing her friend and former training partner, as detailed by “BBC Sport”.
The 36-year-old American secured the victory just 10 months after undergoing neck and spinal surgery, per reports from “BBC Sport”.
Reflecting on her journey after the bout, Harrison opened up about overcoming childhood adversity and abuse by her judo coach, who was later convicted, as documented by “BBC Sport”.
Reflecting on her difficult path to the championship, Harrison shared her disbelief at reaching the pinnacle of combat sports. “I was sexually abused at a young age, statistically I’m not supposed to be here,” Harrison stated, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
In the evening’s main event, heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane successfully defended his belt via a unanimous decision against Josh Hokit in a contest featuring a record-breaking number of significant strikes, as covered by “Yahoo Sports”.
The matchup between Gane and Hokit sparked debate among critics regarding the American challenger’s qualifications after just one year in the organization, as noted by “BBC Sport”.
Following her grueling victory over Nunes, Harrison admitted she is contemplating her future in the bantamweight division due to the severe physical toll of cutting weight. “I’ve got a lot of decisions to make when I get home,” Harrison said, according to Yahoo Sports.