An Amanda Nunes-Kayla Harrison fight would be a dream showdown everyone deserves
'The Lioness' no longer sleeps, and women's MMA is better off for it.
The two-strike revelation in April that Amanda Nunes would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in late June and was ending her two-year retirement, with eyes on retaking her bantamweight championship, only enhanced an intriguing UFC 316 title fight at Prudential Center.
The buzz had a whole lot more to do with Kayla Harrison's golden opportunity to fight for a UFC belt — one year after her long-awaited promotional arrival, seven years past her pro debut and nine removed from her second historic judo gold medal at the Olympics — than it did with the woman who held it coming into late Saturday night's co-main event: two-time titlist Julianna Peña.
So what if Nunes made it clear this week, in speaking with The Post, that she's back for the long haul and with eyes on facing the champion by the end of this year? Nunes vs. Harrison is the steak with all the sizzle. A rubber match with Peña is the cheeseburger off the grill that's been cooling a bit too long: You'll take it, but you'd prefer something juicier.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
34 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Trump attends UFC championship fight in New Jersey, taking a break from politics, Musk feud
Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump walked out to a thunderous standing ovation just ahead of the start of the UFC pay-per-view card at the Prudential Center on Saturday night, putting his public feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk on hold to instead watch the fierce battles inside the cage. Trump was accompanied by UFC President Dana White and the pair headed to their cageside seats to Kid Rock's 'American Bad Ass.' Trump and White did the same for UFC's card last November at Madison Square Garden, only then they were joined by Musk. Trump shook hands with fans and supporters — a heavyweight lineup that included retired boxing champion Mike Tyson — on his way to the cage. Trump was joined by his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, along with son Eric Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump shook hands with the UFC broadcast team that included Joe Rogan. Rogan hosted Trump on his podcast for hours in the final stages of the campaign last year. UFC fans went wild for Trump and held mobile devices in their outstretched arms to snap pictures of him. Trump arrived in time for the start of a card set to include two championship fights. Julianna Pena and Merab Dvalishvili were scheduled to each defend their 135-pound championships. UFC fighter Kevin Holland won the first fight with Trump in the building, scaled the cage and briefly chatted with the President before his post-fight interview. ___ AP sports:
Associated Press
38 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Trump attends UFC championship fight in New Jersey, taking a break from politics, Musk feud
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump walked out to a thunderous standing ovation just ahead of the start of the UFC pay-per-view card at the Prudential Center on Saturday night, putting his public feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk on hold to instead watch the fierce battles inside the cage. Trump was accompanied by UFC President Dana White and the pair headed to their cageside seats to Kid Rock's 'American Bad Ass.' Trump and White did the same for UFC's card last November at Madison Square Garden, only then they were joined by Musk. Trump shook hands with fans and supporters — a heavyweight lineup that included retired boxing champion Mike Tyson — on his way to the cage. Trump was joined by his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, along with son Eric Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump shook hands with the UFC broadcast team that included Joe Rogan. Rogan hosted Trump on his podcast for hours in the final stages of the campaign last year. UFC fans went wild for Trump and held mobile devices in their outstretched arms to snap pictures of him. Trump arrived in time for the start of a card set to include two championship fights. Julianna Peña and Merab Dvalishvili were scheduled to each defend their 135-pound championships. UFC fighter Kevin Holland won the first fight with Trump in the building, scaled the cage and briefly chatted with the President before his post-fight interview. ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UFC 316 video: Azamat Murzakanov pummels Brendson Ribeiro for quick TKO win
NEWARK, N.J. – Azamat Murzakanov finishes fights, even when he's out of action for 10 months at a time. At UFC 316 on Saturday, Murzakanov (15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) finished Brendson Ribeiro with punches at 3:25 of Round 1 on the prelims at Prudential Center. Advertisement Murzakanov put Ribeiro on roller skates and charged for the finish. Saturday's fight was Murzakanov's first since he was suspended for a positive drug test that was traced back to a tainted supplement. Since his UFC signing in 2021, Murzakanov has only competed five times – but has won all five and four by knockout. Ribeiro has a two-fight winning streak snapped. Up-to-the-minute UFC 316 results: This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 316 video: Azamat Murzakanov pummels Brendson Ribeiro for quick TKO win
