Athletes
Kayla Harrison | Filled With Gratitude
Bantamweight Champion Reflects On Life Since Winning The Title And Her Matchup Against Amanda Nunes At UFC 324
On June 7, 2025, Kayla Harrison became the UFC women’s bantamweight champion of the world after submitting Julianna Peña in the second round. The moments following were a bit of a whirlwind, but then, everything fell back into place and back to business as usual.
“That's the beautiful thing about my life,” Harrison said. “I think that on Saturday night, I'm kissing Dana's forehead, and I'm wrapping the belt around Trump, and I'm facing off with Amanda (Nunes), and literally Sunday night, my son is like, ‘Mom, where's my French fries?’ You know, so it's like, back to life as normal. Back to reality.”
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That night inside the Prudential Center, Harrison faced off with former two-time champion and UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes inside the Octagon. Nunes retired back in 2023 but floated the idea of returning to competition. Once Harrison claimed the belt, coming back was a no-brainer for her.
Kayla Harrison Backstage Interview | UFC 2025 Seasonal Press Conference
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Kayla Harrison Backstage Interview | UFC 2025 Seasonal Press Conference
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After the face-off, it was inevitable that the matchup would be the first defense for Harrison’s championship reign. Six months later, and the fight is finally going down at UFC 324 on January 24, which officially marks the first card in the UFC’s Paramount+ era.
“It's such it's such an honor,” Harrison said. “I feel like it's been a long and winding road to get here. There were a lot of moments of doubt or maybe like my time had passed or maybe like it wasn't going to come to fruition and to see how everything is unfolding so beautifully is, I mean, I don't know, my life is like a dream some days I'm serious. I'm just like, ‘Wait, is this real?’”
READ MORE: Women's Bantamweight 2026 Preview
Since their faceoff, Harrison had more six months to prepare for Nunes. The two previously crossed paths at American Top Team when Nunes still trained there.
Following Harrison’s victory in Newark, Nunes went on the ESPN post-show and said she likes when opponents bring out the fear and danger aspect in her, and Harrison is someone that does that.
“She knows that I'm the best in the world and I love that Amanda also rises to the occasion and rises to the challenge,” Harrison said. “I think that's what a true champion and a true sportswoman does. We don't chase the easy fights. We want the big fights. We want the challenge. We want the bright lights, and I just can't wait to share the Octagon with her. It's going to be fireworks.”
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The two-time Olympic judo gold medalist has already accomplished so much throughout her career, and when she came to the UFC, she made it clear that her focus was to become UFC champion. She needed just three fights to do exactly that.
Now, she gets to face one of the best of all-time as she continues her own quest for greatness. But, as someone who has always hoped to inspire the next generation, that is exactly the focus once again for the 35-year-old.
Kayla Harrison Submits Julianna Peña To Win Bantamweight Title | UFC 316
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Kayla Harrison Submits Julianna Peña To Win Bantamweight Title | UFC 316
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Yes, defeating the greatest female fighter ever would certainly be something to add to her already decorated resume, but putting on an amazing fight and potentially inspiring someone who may be watching, that’s the goal for the bantamweight champion.
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“I just want to reiterate: my goal is not to be the greatest of all-time forever. I don't care if it's for a day, for a week, for a year, I want to achieve my goal, and then I want the next generation to stand on top of my shoulders and surpass everything I've ever done,” Harrison said. “Amanda and I are going to go out there on January 24. We're going to put on a hell of a show. We're going to have fireworks. We're going to bring a whole new audience to women's MMA and then the job is for other women to carry that forward and for I hope that, you know, 20,000 little girls watch that and then they all start doing MMA.”
Don't miss a moment of UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 24, 2026. Prelims start at 7pm ET/4pm PT, followed by the main card live on Paramount+ at 9pm ET/6pm PT.
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