Amanda Nunes Names Toughest Foe as Harrison Faces Nerve Damage Risk

WHO:

MMA Fighting - Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian fighter and UFC hall-of-famer, is returning from retirement to face Kayla Harrison.

MMA Fighting - Nunes identified Cris Cyborg as the toughest opponent she had faced, citing Cyborg’s size, power, and undefeated record before their fight.

BBC - Harrison is an American, two-time Olympic judo gold medallist and UFC women’s bantamweight champion.

NY Post - Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes “never truly were buddies.”

WHAT:

MMA Fighting - Nunes is scheduled to fight Harrison at UFC 334 for the UFC women’s bantamweight title; Nunes said, “I will win on Saturday,” and said she intended to reclaim the title and defend it multiple times.

MMA Fighting - Nunes said she had “no hate” toward Harrison, despite their history of training together with some of the same coaches. She said the issue was that they trained “on the same mat with the same coaches and the same gym.”

BBC - Harrison said she was “on the verge of having permanent nerve damage” before undergoing neck and spinal surgery for five herniated discs.

BBC - Harrison described severe pain as “lightning bolts,” said she had been training despite it, and spent eight weeks in a neck brace after surgery. Recovery left her questioning her future in the sport before she decided to return after “soul searching.”

WHERE:

MMA Fighting - Nunes fought Cyborg for the UFC featherweight title after moving up to featherweight.

BBC - UFC 334 is to take place in New York.

NY Post - The article describes the UFC 334 showdown as taking place at Madison Square Garden (MSG).

WHEN:

MMA Fighting - Nunes defeated Cyborg in 51 seconds.

BBC - Harrison’s neck and spinal surgery took place at the start of the year; the fight with Nunes was postponed after Harrison learned she needed surgery.

BBC - Harrison is to defend her title against Nunes at UFC 334 on Saturday.

WHY:

BBC - Harrison’s fight was postponed because she required an operation for five herniated discs in her neck, which she said had accumulated over a lifetime in combat sports.

MMA Fighting - Nunes said Cyborg was her toughest opponent because of Cyborg’s size and knockout power, and because Cyborg had never lost before their bout.

HOW:

MMA Fighting - Nunes became a two-division champion by defeating Cyborg and later defended both titles before retiring.

BBC - Harrison underwent surgery on five herniated neck discs and wore a neck brace for eight weeks during recovery.

Amanda Nunes is ending retirement to challenge Kayla Harrison for the UFC bantamweight title. Harrison, recovering from surgery for five herniated discs, returns to defend her championship. The rivals meet at UFC 334 in New York, after years of training together.