UFC 324 hit with devastating blow as Kayla Harrison is OUT against Amanda Nunes

In a crushing blow to UFC 324 and women’s MMA as a whole, bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison has been forced to withdraw from her historic showdown against Amanda Nunes on January 24 due to a significant neck injury requiring surgery. The news, first reported by The Eagle Tribune and has since been confirmed by Léo Walker Guimaraes.

Kayla Harrison está fora da luta contra Amanda Nunes no dia 24 de janeiro, UFC 324.

A informação foi revelada em primeira mão pelo site The Eagle Tribune e pude confirmar agora sobre o cancelamento.

A campeã teve uma lesão no pescoço e precisou passar por cirurgia +

— Léo Walker Guimaraes (@leoguimaraesmma) January 14, 2026

Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo and former PFL champion, captured the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 316 with a second-round submission victory over Julianna Peña. The matchup against Nunes—widely promoted as “the greatest female fight of all time”—represented her first title defense and a career-defining moment for the 35-year-old champion. Unfortunately, those plans have been shelved indefinitely.

Posting a finish from a random ufc event in 2025 because there’s no ufc for ages

Day 20: Harrison vs Pena (UFC 316, June 7th, Newark, New Jersey) pic.twitter.com/zFpOnbCacc

— Marcin Tybura fan (@John56532395736) January 8, 2026

The recovery timeline appears bleak for Harrison’s immediate future. Medical professionals and the UFC are projecting approximately six months before the champion can safely return to competition, meaning fans likely won’t see her back inside the Octagon until mid-2026 at the earliest. Neck injuries are notoriously difficult to manage, and surgery typically signals a severe underlying condition requiring extensive rehabilitation and careful monitoring before clearance to fight.

A previsão é que o retorno de Harrison acontece entorno de seis meses.

Não fui informado se o haverá criação de um cinturão interino para Amanda lutar

— Léo Walker Guimaraes (@leoguimaraesmma) January 14, 2026

While the UFC has yet to make an official announcement regarding an interim bantamweight title bout, the promotion now faces significant questions about how to proceed with the 135-pound division. With Harrison sidelined and Nunes’s comeback plans now in limbo, the women’s bantamweight title picture has become increasingly cloudy.

Despite the loss of what would have been the card’s biggest selling point, UFC 324 remains stacked with elite talent. The event, which marks the UFC’s debut on Paramount+, still features several marquee matchups that showcase the sport’s elite talent.

UFC 324 Remaining Fight Card

• Main Event: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett (Interim Lightweight Championship)
• Co-Main Event: Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong
• Heavyweight: Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis
• Featherweight: Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva
• ​Light Heavyweight: Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas
• ​Bantamweight: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
• ​Middleweight: Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev
• ​Flyweight: Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson
• ​Heavyweight: Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman
• ​Lightweight: Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez
• ​Welterweight: Ty Miller vs. Adam Fugitt
• ​Bantamweight: Ricky Turcios vs. Cameron Smotherman
• ​Women’s Flyweight: Rose Namajunas vs. Natalia Silva​

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