Kayla
Harrison says she probably would not have returned to
competition without the opportunity to face Amanda
Nunes.

Harrison is scheduled to defend her
Ultimate Fighting Championship women's bantamweight title
against Nunes at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Harrison,
who goes to great lengths to reach the 135-pound championship
limit, says the matchup makes the weight cut worthwhile.

Kayla Harrison prepares to defend UFC bantamweight title
against Amanda Nunes after neck surgery

Nunes is widely regarded as the greatest female mixed martial
artist of all time. Harrison said she might not have fought again
if Nunes were not her opponent.

“I mean, just to be honest, yeah,†Harrison told Ariel Helwani when
asked if the Nunes fight is the only reason she's returning to
action.

Harrison (19-1) won two
Professional Fighters League lightweight championships before
joining the UFC in 2024. She submitted Julianna
Pena to win the UFC bantamweight title last year. Her first
defense against Nunes (23-5) was scheduled for January, but a neck
injury requiring surgery forced her to withdraw.

Kayla
Harrison admits she ‘probably’ wouldn’t have come back if it
wasn’t for the Amanda
Nunes fight: “Probably. I mean, just to be honest. Yeah.”
https://t.co/nf5Wpvw0RA

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 14, 2026

UFC lightweight newcomer Diego Lopes has spoken about the logistics of his move up to face Charles Oliveira for the BMF title.

In the main event of UFC 335, Charles Oliveira will defend the BMF title against Diego Lopes. We all know Lopes to be an entertaining fighter to watch in the cage but after twice failing to take the featherweight belt from Alexander Volkanovski, he's ready for a new challenge.

RELATED: Diego Lopes expecting a war against Charles Oliveira at UFC 335: ‘Let's see who goes down first'

Charles Oliveira, of course, is a seasoned lightweight veteran, a former champion, and someone who will be looking to take advantage of any rust Diego Lopes may have in this new weight class.

In a recent interview, though, Diego Lopes discussed how he plans to adapt to his new surroundings.

Diego Lopes discusses his lightweight switch

“Height-wise, I don't feel bad,†Lopes told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “I think I'm one of the tallest fighters in the division. I think out of all the top-five fighters, I'm the same height or taller. I think Pimblett is the only one bigger than me height-wise and weight-wise, but I still need to adapt, and I don't think it will be a problem.â€

“I'll give you an interesting stat: my nutritionist and I did an evaluation of how much the top lightweights were bouncing back in weight the day of the fight,†Lopes said. “My decision to move up to 155 was not just, ‘I'm moving up. That's it.' No. So from the champion to the top five, they bounce up around 180 to 172 pounds. That's normally what they're bouncing to. I've been adapting my weight for 155 for some time now.

“In my last fight, and this you'll find interesting: for my last fight, on fight day, I weighed in at 175. So if you think about it, I'm already about average. Obviously, that was in the morning, and I was swollen, and after going to the bathroom and training, I was at 170, 171. So it wasn't too bad, and keep in mind I made a camp for 145 pounds. Now, imagine at 155, I think I'll be good.â€

“We'll see what happens,†Lopes said. “I want to see how my body responds at 155. I want to see how I adapt at 155. This is the first time I'm doing a camp for 155. I'm heavier, and I'm just doing more. I've never lifted weights in my life, and now I'm lifting weights twice a week. I'm also taking supplements; I'm taking creatine, and I'm heavier. So let's see how my body responds. I think Charles is the perfect test to see if I belong at 155.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you expect Lopes to do well at 155 pounds? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

---

Raoni
Barcelos says medical testing has yet to determine why he lost
consciousness during his
Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner against Raul Rosas
Jr.

Barcelos faced Rosas Jr. in the main event of
UFC Vegas 121 last month. The Brazilian led on the judges'
scorecards entering the fifth round but lost consciousness during a
grappling exchange against the fence. Rosas Jr. was awarded a
technical knockout victory, and the 39-year-old Barcelos was
transported to a Level 1 trauma center.

Raoni Barcelos undergoes medical tests after losing
consciousness against Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC Vegas 121

Barcelos said he is undergoing tests in Las Vegas to determine what
happened. He hopes to continue fighting but has not ruled out
retirement.

“Unfortunately, we don't know what happened,†Barcelos told MMA
Fighting. “It was a sudden illness. I fell ill and I felt my whole
body really starting to go numb. After that, I don't remember
anything. I only remember [arriving] in the ambulance, asking my
father what happened, and him trying to explain it as best as he
could. It really was an unfortunate [circumstance]. I got sick and
to this day we still don't understand. I'm undergoing a battery of
tests here in [Las] Vegas. I had another on Monday and we're
waiting for a good result. The doctor hasn't released the results
yet and everything is being kept confidential. But I feel better
every day.â€

Barcelos (22-6) entered the bout on a five-fight winning streak. He
has competed in the UFC since 2018, compiling an 11-5 promotional
record with victories over Said
Nurmagomedov, Cody
Garbrandt and Payton
Talbott.

Raoni
Barcelos is still waiting for a diagnosis after his mysterious
health scare: “We don't know what happened. It was a sudden
illness. I fell ill, and I felt my whole body really starting to go
numb. After that, I don't remember anything.” (🎥 @guicruzzz)
https://t.co/dVJzTkkBkl

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting)
October 15, 2026