Kayla Harrison thinks her fight with Amanda Nunes could help take women’s mixed martial arts to the next level.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist added another accolade to her illustrious resume at UFC 316, defeating Julianna Pena to claim the bantamweight world title.
Immediately following the fight, Harrison was joined by Nunes inside the Octagon for a face-off that had fight fans chomping at the bit to see the two icons finally throw down on MMA’s biggest stage.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show following her big win in The Garden State, Harrison suggested that as long as ‘The Lioness’ brings her A-game, they’ll deliver one of the greatest fights in women’s combat sports history and move the needle for WMMA as a whole.
“I want Amanda to be her absolute best self,” Harrison said. “I want the two best fighters in the world to step in that cage and to leave it all out there and to put on a hell of a fight for the world to see and to bring women’s MMA to a whole new level. May the best woman win.”
After a brief delay, Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes is closer than ever
This isn’t the first time Harrison vs. Nunes was on the table. The two-time PFL champion was on hand when Nunes first met Julianna Pena for a bantamweight title clash at UFC 269. As a massive favorite, everyone assumed that ‘The Lioness’ would retain her title, setting the stage for a showdown between her and Harrison.
However, Pena had other plans, scoring one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Though it may have been delayed, Harrison’s dominant defeat of Pena has seemingly aligned the stars, promising us one of the most anticipated matchups in MMA history, regardless of gender.
