The women’s MMA GOAT debate may have officially ended Saturday night at UFC 334, and Kayla Harrison brought the receipts.
Amanda Nunes returned looking to remind everyone why she was considered the greatest female fighter in UFC history. Instead, Harrison survived the former champion’s dangerous striking, punished her on the ground, and finished her with a fourth-round rear-naked choke. The two-time Olympic gold medalist turned Nunes’ comeback into a nightmare, repeatedly trapping her in the crucifix before securing the submission. Nunes entered the Octagon as the GOAT, but Harrison walked out with a victory that could change women’s MMA history forever.
Round 1 – Harrison and Nunes met in the center of the Octagon, with Nunes immediately firing a jab that missed. Harrison looked cautious early, clearly respecting the former champion’s dangerous striking and ability to control the distance. Nunes quickly tested that hesitation, rushing forward and forcing Harrison to deal with her aggression.
Nunes continued pressing forward, throwing heavy right hands and chopping away with leg kicks. Harrison answered with a leg kick of her own, but finding a way inside was becoming a serious problem. The Olympic gold medalist kept feinting and searching for an opportunity to get her hands on Nunes. Unfortunately for Harrison, Nunes was making every potential takedown attempt look like a terrible career decision.
Harrison eventually decided she’d had enough of waiting and charged forward looking to close the distance. Nunes greeted her with a massive right hand before following up with several more strikes. Harrison struggled to get close enough to establish her grappling, and Nunes was making her pay for every attempt.
Harrison finally managed to get into the clinch, but Nunes connected with another huge shot that appeared to drop her. Harrison was already spitting blood, and things were getting ugly in a hurry. Nunes continued hunting her opponent, throwing punches and keeping the pressure on the two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Just when things looked like they couldn’t get much worse, Harrison finally got her hands on Nunes. She drove the former champion against the fence, looking to turn the fight into the grappling battle she’d wanted all along. However, Nunes managed to escape, which might have been her biggest accomplishment of the round at that point.
Nunes immediately resumed stalking Harrison, who looked like she was desperately searching for answers. The former champion was controlling the striking exchanges, and Harrison needed something big to change the momentum. Finally, Harrison secured a takedown and brought Nunes to the canvas.
Nunes quickly reversed the position and landed a knee to Harrison’s body, showing she wasn’t helpless in the grappling department. However, Harrison refused to let the opportunity disappear and managed to drag Nunes back down. This time, Harrison advanced into the crucifix position, trapping Nunes and leaving her in serious trouble.
Suddenly, the entire fight had flipped upside down.
Harrison began unloading a nasty series of unanswered left hands, repeatedly connecting while Nunes struggled to defend herself. The former champion desperately tried freeing her trapped left arm, but Harrison continued raining down punches. Nunes had gone from dominating the striking exchanges to being stuck underneath one of the most dangerous grapplers in women’s MMA.
Nunes started working to bring her legs into play, desperately searching for a way to escape the position. She attempted to time a scramble before threatening an armlock submission, hoping to create enough space to get free. Harrison maintained control, refusing to give Nunes the opening she needed.
The horn finally sounded with Harrison still on top and Nunes trapped in the crucifix. What started as a striking nightmare for Harrison ended with Nunes desperately trying to survive on the canvas.
Round 2 – Nunes came out for the second round with a massive smile on her face, looking like she was enjoying every second. The former champion immediately went back on the hunt, feinting a takedown before attacking Harrison with punches upstairs. Harrison continued searching for opportunities to use her judo, but Nunes had apparently decided to try something completely insane.
Nunes started shooting for takedowns against Harrison, which is certainly one way to test your survival instincts. We’re talking about a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose entire career has been built around throwing people onto the canvas. Yet Nunes kept trying to take Harrison down, because fighting one of the world’s best grapplers wasn’t challenging enough already.
Nunes burned through plenty of energy trying to drag Harrison to the ground, but the attempts kept coming up empty. Harrison looked for a judo throw during the clinch exchanges, while Nunes remained determined to finish a takedown. The former champion landed knees to Harrison’s body before connecting with a right hand upstairs. However, getting Harrison onto the canvas was proving considerably more difficult than Nunes probably expected.
Eventually, Nunes ducked underneath Harrison and managed to secure a takedown from behind. Harrison quickly worked her way back to her feet, but Nunes remained attached to her back. The former champion continued attacking Harrison’s legs with knees, trying to wear down the Olympic gold medalist.
Unfortunately for Nunes, Harrison had seen enough of this wrestling experiment.
Harrison finally used her judo to execute a throw, reversing the position and landing on top of Nunes. The Olympic gold medalist immediately started throwing left hands while searching for the crucifix position that caused so much trouble earlier. Nunes had spent much of the round trying to take Harrison down, only to end up underneath her again.
Harrison advanced into side control and started manipulating Nunes’ left arm, looking for an opportunity to secure a submission. Nunes defended the attacks well, refusing to give Harrison the opening she wanted. Harrison was perfectly comfortable staying in control and landing short punches while continuing to hunt for something bigger.
Then Harrison managed to trap Nunes in the crucifix position once again.
Suddenly, Nunes was right back in the same nightmare she’d barely survived during the opening round. Harrison began unloading unanswered punches, repeatedly connecting while Nunes struggled to free herself from the position. The former champion had spent the early part of the round smiling and hunting Harrison, but now she was trapped underneath her.
For the second consecutive round, Harrison had turned Nunes’ aggressive approach into another brutal grappling problem.
Round 3 – Nunes came out for the final round looking to put Harrison on the defensive. The former champion immediately started pressing forward, forcing Harrison to retreat while searching for an opening. Nunes eventually rushed inside and connected with a clean right hand, reminding Harrison that her striking remained a serious problem.
Harrison tried changing the momentum by feinting a takedown before securing her grips and looking for a judo throw. However, Nunes fought off the attempt, refusing to let Harrison dictate where the fight would take place. Nunes answered with a body kick, but Harrison immediately chased her down looking for another throw. This time, Nunes reversed the position and dumped Harrison onto her backside against the fence.
Nunes quickly advanced into full mount, putting Harrison in a position nobody expected her to be in. Harrison wrapped an arm around Nunes’ head, desperately trying to control the former champion and prevent further damage. Things got even more interesting when Harrison grabbed the cage, earning a warning from the referee. Desperate times were clearly calling for desperate measures.
Harrison eventually managed to push Nunes off and secure a headlock as the former champion worked back to her feet. However, Harrison was visibly exhausted, and maintaining the position was becoming a serious challenge. The Olympic gold medalist eventually released the headlock, giving Nunes another opportunity to attack.
Harrison managed to connect with knees to the body during the clinch exchanges, but Nunes kept fighting for position. The former champion eventually worked her way behind Harrison and secured back control. Nunes managed to get both hooks inside, threatening to take complete control of the position.
Unfortunately for Nunes, she climbed a little too high on Harrison’s back, and gravity decided to get involved.
Nunes slipped off the top and ended up underneath Harrison, giving the Olympic gold medalist another golden opportunity. With just over a minute remaining, Harrison immediately postured up and started looking to unload punches from top position. Nunes had gone from threatening Harrison’s back to defending herself on the canvas in a matter of seconds.
Harrison then connected with a massive elbow that sliced Nunes open, adding blood to an already brutal championship-level battle. The Olympic gold medalist continued looking to inflict damage as the final seconds ticked away.
Harrison eventually stood up before dropping back down with another enormous shot, making sure Nunes felt every bit of it. Both women had spent the round fighting through exhaustion, but Harrison was still finding ways to deliver serious punishment.
Round 4 – Nunes came out looking to keep the fight standing, clearly preferring to trade punches with Harrison. Harrison immediately rushed forward and grabbed a headlock, trying to drag the former champion back into another grappling nightmare. Nunes managed to break free and connected with a beautiful left elbow that caught Harrison clean.
For a brief moment, Nunes looked like she might finally get the striking battle she’d been searching for. However, Harrison had absolutely no intention of letting this fight turn into a kickboxing match.
Harrison charged forward again, closing the distance before working her way to Nunes’ back. The Olympic gold medalist quickly secured control and started attacking the neck, putting the former champion in serious trouble. Nunes had survived Harrison’s brutal crucifix attacks earlier, but this time there was nowhere to hide.
Harrison locked in the rear-naked choke and tightened her grip, leaving Nunes trapped with no escape. Moments later, the fight was over.
Kayla Harrison had submitted Amanda Nunes by rear-naked choke, finishing one of the greatest fighters in women’s MMA history.
Official: Kayla Harrison def. Amanda Nunes via R4 SUB (RNC), 1:29