Poirier On Harrison's Path To Nunes Upset

Dustin Poirier says takedowns will determine whether Kayla Harrison can submit Amanda Nunes when the two bantamweights meet for the title at UFC 334 on Nov. 14.

Poirier, who trained with both fighters at American Top Team, addressed the matchup on his Deep Waters podcast. BJPenn.com carried his remarks. Harrison and Nunes were originally scheduled to fight in early 2026 before the champion required neck surgery. The bout is now set for Madison Square Garden in New York as the co-main event.

Harrison's Grappling Against Nunes' Power

"It's going to come down to the takedowns," Poirier said. "Can Kayla use her judo and her wrestling to get Amanda down? If she can, I think she's going to have a lot of success." He noted that Nunes has been submitted before and that Harrison carries size, strength, and grappling credentials into the cage. But he stressed the difficulty of preparing for Nunes' striking.

"The length and power Amanda has, you can't prepare for in the female division," Poirier said. "You can't get girls in the gym who can punch like that."

Harrison is the betting favourite despite a two-year layoff for Nunes, who retired after 2023 and went 14-1 in her last 15 fights across two weight classes. Harrison enters on a four-fight win streak with one career loss. UFC 334 takes place in five weeks.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Dustin Poirier wonders if Kayla Harrison can submit Amanda Nunes: “It’s going to come down to the takedowns”