Kayla Harrison is out of the co-main event of UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas due to a neck injury that required surgery, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday.
Harrison, the UFC bantamweight champion, was slated to fight Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes as the UFC planned to kick off its new partnership with Paramount+ with a pair of high-profile bouts.
Per the Eagle Tribune, Harrison underwent surgery in New York on Tuesday to repair herniated discs in her neck.
The other co-main event features an interim UFC lightweight title fight between former titleholder Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett. Gaethje (26-5) and Pimblett (23-3) will compete to hold the title that Ilia Topuria (17-0) is ceding temporarily.
A two-time Olympic judo gold medalist, Harrison (19-1) captured the bantamweight title in June 2025 with a submission win over Julianna Pena.
Harrison reportedly will be sidelined for at least the first half of 2026.
Nunes (23-5) previously held the UFC featherweight and bantamweight title belts, but the 37-year-old hasn’t competed since successfully defending the latter crown in June 2023. She vacated that championship weeks later when she announced a retirement that will end in January.
–Field Level Media
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