Kayla Harrison Calls for Amanda Nunes Rematch at 145 Pounds
Harrison wants to beat Nunes at bantamweight Saturday, then run it back at featherweight for a second belt.
Kayla Harrison is not thinking about retirement. She is thinking about a second belt.
The UFC women's bantamweight champion used Thursday's UFC 334 press conference at Madison Square Garden to lay out her plan. Beat Amanda Nunes on Saturday night, then do it again at featherweight. "I feel like I am gonna prove I'm the champion on Saturday night," Harrison said, per MMA Mania. "And then I'll give her an automatic rematch at 145 so I can snatch that other belt."
The women's featherweight division has been dormant since Nunes retired in 2023 while holding both the 135 and 145-pound titles. Harrison winning the bantamweight belt and then moving up to claim the featherweight strap would make her a simultaneous two-division champion, a status only Nunes and a handful of others have ever held.
The 145-pound move could also solve a practical problem. Harrison has previously said the weight cut to bantamweight is taking a toll, and she returned to action this year after neck surgery to repair a fractured vertebra. Fighting at featherweight would ease that burden while adding another chapter to a rivalry that already stands as one of the biggest in women's MMA history.
There has been speculation that UFC 334 could feature a double retirement fight, with both women walking away after their superfight. Harrison's comments suggest she has other plans entirely.
I love the confidence. Harrison hasn't even fought Nunes yet and she's already mapping out the rematch at a different weight class. That's either supreme belief or elite gamesmanship, and with Harrison it might be both.
The 145-pound angle is smart. That division has been a ghost town since Nunes left, and Harrison reclaiming it would give the UFC a reason to actually invest in women's featherweight again. Plus, if the weight cut really is beating her up after that neck surgery, moving up just makes sense for her longevity.
Here's the thing, though: she has to get through Saturday first. Nunes came out of retirement for a reason, and writing off the greatest women's fighter of all time before the cage door closes is a mistake people have been making for a decade. I think Harrison gets it done, but calling your shot at the press conference is a dangerous game.
