American Top Team was thrilled to add another championship to
its collection.
Advertisement
Kayla
Harrison received a warm welcome when she returned to the
Florida-based gym on Monday following her second-round submission
of Julianna
Pena in the UFC 316
co-main event. The newly-crowned bantamweight queen was greeted by
a large crowd that included the likes of Dustin
Poirier and Alexandre
Pantoja.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was a two-time
Professional Fighters League champion at 155 pounds before
signing with the
UFC, where she rolled through Holly Holm,
Ketlen
Vieira and Pena to reach the top of the bantamweight
division.
A big-ticket showdown awaits Harrison, as she is expected to lock
horns with former two-division champion Amanda
Nunes at a future event. Nunes is coming out of retirement
following a two-year hiatus that began following her title defense
against Irene
Aldana at UFC 289 in June 2023.
Interestingly enough, Nunes admitted on the UFC 316 post-fight show
that Harrison’s presence was a major reason why she parted ways
with ATT.
“Because when she got there, she started training with my coach,
Mike Brown,
Anderson [Franca], everybody, and I knew this fight would happen
one day,” Nunes said. “If I was there now, that would be a problem.
A huge problem for [American Top Team owner Dan Lambert]. She would
have to move. Both training at the same gym, never would have
happened.”