Kayla Harrison: 'I'm ready to whoop Amanda Nunes' a**'

UFC women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison has been calling for a fight against former two-division champion Amanda Nunes since her arrival in the organization in April 2024. 

Nunes is nearly unanimously considered the greatest female fighter to step foot inside the octagon. It's an accolade Harrison wants. The two former teammates are expected to fight later this year. 

Harrison won the women's 135-pound title at UFC 316 defeating former two-time titleholder Julianna Peña via submission in the second round. Since the fight, Harrison took some time off but has returned to training.  

"I've been training, but now it's back to training hard, and I'm ready to whoop Amanda's ass," Harrison said during a recent question and answer session.

"Every fight is different. Amanda is the G.O.A.T. for a reason, so I'm preparing for five hard rounds. One round at a time. One minute at a time. One exchange at a time, One breath at a time. But I'm going to go out there and instill my will," continued Harrison. "I'm going to break her. I'm going to be 'and still' UFC champion of the world, and then I'm going to go fight at the White House."

Nunes last fought in June 2023 successfully defending the title against Irene Aldana. Following the fight, "The Lioness" vacated the title and retired. Prior to the UFC 316 showdown between Harrison and Pena, Nunes announced that she's coming out of retirement to face the winner.

Harrison, along with several notable fighters, has put her name out there as  a candidate to be on next July's UFC fight card at the White House. President Donald Trump announced on Fourth of July weekend that a UFC event is being planned for July 4th, 2026 on the 250th anniversary of the Second Continental Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence establishing the United States of America. The two-time Olympic gold medalist would like to represent the country at the historic event.