Harrison, Nunes Clash for 135-Pound Title at UFC 334 as 8-Year Gym Rift Resurfaces
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Nov 11
Harrison, Nunes Clash for 135-Pound Title at UFC 334 as 8-Year Gym Rift Resurfaces
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Nov 11
Summary
Saturday’s UFC 334 main event at Madison Square Garden pits champion Kayla Harrison, 19-1, against returning former champion Amanda Nunes, 23-5, for the bantamweight belt after their June 7 faceoff in Newark.
That matchup carries years of baggage from American Top Team, where Nunes says she sensed from 2018 that Harrison joined the gym intending to fight her, a claim Harrison rejects as a misunderstanding.
Less than 10 real sparring rounds and Harrison’s 2021 free-agency talks with UFC officials deepened Nunes’s suspicions, which intensified after she lost the title to Julianna Peña as an 11-to-1 favorite.
Nunes left American Top Team after that upset and later retired in 2023, while Harrison built her résumé through PFL titles before submitting Peña to win the UFC belt and set up the long-awaited showdown.
Both fighters deny personal hatred, but the 135-pound title fight now doubles as a test of whether Nunes’s long-held suspicions or Harrison’s teammate-first view better explains their 8-year rivalry.
Can Kayla Harrison's relentless judo pressure overcome her striking vulnerabilities to definitively steal the women's MMA GOAT title from Amanda Nunes?
Will Amanda Nunes' independent training and time away from the cage cost her the ultimate victory against an elite grappler like Kayla Harrison?