Kayla Harrison Hopes to Lure Ex-UFC Champ Amanda Nunes Out of Retirement

Kayla
Harrison
believes she has moved a step closer to bringing
Amanda
Nunes
out of retirement with her dominant
Ultimate Fighting Championship
debut win over Holly
Holm
.

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Harrison scored a second-round submission win over the former UFC
bantamweight champion at UFC
300
on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The
former two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka called for a title
shot next, vowing to be champion by the end of 2024.

“I want my title next, Joe [Rogan],” Harrison said in her post-fight interview. “That’s what I came over for
here, one thing and one thing only. I don’t care if it’s Raquel
[Pennington], I don’t care if it’s Julianna [Pena], by the end of
the year I will be UFC champion.”

Harrison’s performance certainly caught the attention of consensus
women’s MMA GOAT Amanda
Nunes
. “The Lioness” retired after defending her bantamweight
title against Irene
Aldana
at UFC 289 in June 2023 but has since alluded to a
possible return to action. Nunes posted an Instagram story of
Harrison’s post-fight interview teasing a potential clash. The
Brazilian wrote “Chama,” which translates to “fire” but has been
popularized by UFC light heavyweight champ Alex
Pereira
as a slang for “Let’s go.” Harrison, who has been
rallying for a dream fight against Nunes for quite some time,
believes her plan to bring former double champ out of retirement is
in motion.

“Chama! I think the plan is working,” Harrison told TNT Sports.

Raquel
Pennington
, who won the vacant title with a unanimous decision
win over Mayra
Bueno Silva
at UFC 297 in January, called out former champ
Julianna
Pena
for her first title defense. While Harrison is eyeing a
potential matchup with Pennington or Pena next, she was dismissive
of both along with the rest of the division.

“I mean I don’t think they [Pena and Pennington] match up well
against me,” Harrison said. “I don’t think anybody in this division
matches up well against me. I think that I’m an unstoppable force
right now and this is my time.”

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