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

The UFC returns to Canada this Saturday for a UFC Fight Night card, and in the main event, Canada's own Mike Malott looks to extend his long win streak against Joaquin Buckley. With “New Mansa†entering the bout off of back-to-back losses, and Malott being 34 in a loaded up division, is it do-or-die for both guys?

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape believes Joshua Van will be too slow for him in their heavily rumored title fight.

While it hasn't been officially announced, it seems like all roads are leading to Joshua Van vs Manel Kape for the UFC flyweight championship, a contest that many have been waiting to see for quite some time.

RELATED: Joshua Van, Manel Kape fire shots at each other ahead of potential title fight: ‘Finally came out of hiding'

Van is leading the way as the new face of the flyweight division, but Manel Kape is ready and eager to prove that he is the one who deserves to be the top guy at 125 pounds.

In a recent interview, Manel Kape had the following to say about how he expects that fight to play out.

Manel Kape's view on possible Joshua Van clash

“I know the power that I possess. I know the skill I possess,†Kape told Daniel Cormier. “When I say this fight is going to be too easy, it's going to be too easy. He's going to be very slow. The way he throws the punches is going to be slow to me. This fight is going to be like Anderson Silva against Forrest Griffin. I apologize: I love Forrest Griffin, but it's going to be like this. That's the fight I really see. That's the levels I see I'm above him.

“Remember these words. We will find out. That's the way Van is to me. I just beat the most difficult fighter in our division. Kyoji is going to be there again. This guy is a different animal. You need to be very, very smart to fight this guy. You need to have knowledge. You need to have strategy to beat a karate guy like him. If it was Van against Kyoji, Kyoji would put him to sleep in the first round. That's the way I see it. I know the levels of this game.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Who would you back to win if this fight takes place? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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