Kayla
Harrison will defend her
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title against
Amanda
Nunes at UFC
334 on Nov. 14. Brazilian correspondent Marcelo Alonso asked
five fighters and coaches what could decide the matchup between the
two-time Olympic judo gold medalist and the former two-division
champion, who is returning from retirement.
Cris Cyborg, Larissa Pacheco and coaches assess Kayla
Harrison’s takedowns, weight cut and Amanda Nunes’ finishing
ability
Former champion Cris
Cyborg, whom Nunes knocked out in the first round in December
2018, said the outcome could hinge on whether Nunes can stop
Harrison’s takedowns.
“They’ve trained together before and I believe Amanda had a good
experience with her back then, I don’t know. Kayla is an Olympic
athlete who will try to impose herself using her judo, but even if
she ends up on the bottom, Amanda has jiu-jitsu, and if she can
frustrate Kayla’s takedowns, she has a chance to win by
knockout.”
Former
Professional Fighters League champion Larissa
Pacheco, who fought Harrison three times and trained alongside
Nunes, questioned how long Harrison could sustain her grappling
after a demanding weight cut.
“There’s one thing Kayla does very well in MMA and nobody can deny
it, which is grappling, but the fact is that the game she does well
is the most exhausting for someone who cuts as much weight as she
does. And Amanda is a different kind of athlete, a sort of alien.
If she’s on point, whenever she decides to end the fight she will
— whether by submission or knockout. I don’t believe this fight
goes past the end of the third round.”
UFC strawweight contender Virna
Jandiroba said she looks up to Nunes, a fellow native of
Brazil’s Bahia state, and gives the former champion the edge in
experience and versatility.
“I’m biased because Amanda was one of my inspirations, not only for
being a woman but because she was born in the same state as me in
northeastern Brazil. But regardless of who I’m rooting for, I think
she’s more complete and more experienced than Kayla, and after this
layoff she must be coming back very motivated to reclaim the
belt.”
American Top Team coach Marcos
“Parrumpa” da Matta said Harrison looked strong in training and
was lighter two weeks out than she had been at the same point
before the original booking.
“Kayla trains with [Mike
Brown], not with me, but what I can say two weeks out from the
fight, she was already well below the weight she was last time.
She’s looking strong, very motivated, and from what I’ve seen she’s
training very well. Let’s see what happens on the 14th.”
Ronny
Markes, head coach of
Porrada Training Center, favors Nunes but believes Harrison
could have the advantage early.
“I have enormous respect for Cris, who for many is the greatest of
all time, but in my opinion Amanda, after knocking out Cris, proved
she is the GOAT of the sport. Kayla is a very tough Olympic
athlete, but she cuts a lot of weight. She may even have the edge
in the first two rounds thanks to her physical vigor, but I think
past the second round the tendency is for Amanda to impose her more
complete game.”
Legends Collide @KaylaH vs @Amanda_Leoa [
#Polymarket #UFC334 LIVE NOV 14 at 9pmET on @ParamountPlus ]
https://t.co/LmaAjXZAZe
— UFC (@ufc) November
10, 2026