Kayla Harrison to fight before year's end, manager confirms after UFC 331 plans collapse

Kayla Harrison will fight before the end of 2026, her manager Ali Abdelaziz has confirmed, after a neck injury forced the UFC women's bantamweight champion to abandon a planned title defence targeted for UFC 331 on September 19 in Los Angeles.

Harrison, 35, carries a 16-1 record into her recovery and has been one of the most dominant champions on the roster since arriving in the UFC. The American stands 173 cm tall with a 168 cm reach and brings a relentless grappling-based game to the cage, averaging 22.5 takedowns per 15 minutes — a staggering figure at the championship level. She also connects on an exceptional 73 percent of her significant strikes, underlining a well-rounded attack that has made her difficult to prepare for.

The opponent she was set to face, Amanda Nunes, remains in the picture. Nunes, 38, is a former two-division champion from Brazil with a 23-5 record. The Lioness stands 173 cm with a 175 cm reach and averaged 4.55 significant strikes per minute across her career, posting 51 percent striking accuracy alongside 2.73 takedowns per 15 minutes — a complete fighter in her own right.

Abdelaziz said he personally advised Harrison not to rush her return, and framed her position as one of comfort: as champion, the challengers will wait.

Why it matters

• Harrison's neck injury has now wiped out at least one major planned title defence, pushing her return to the fourth quarter of 2026 at the earliest.
• The UFC 331 card loses its marquee women's bantamweight title bout, leaving a significant gap on the September 19 Los Angeles show.
• Harrison's extraordinary takedown rate versus Nunes's proven ability to defend and counter makes the eventual matchup one of the division's most anticipated stylistic clashes.