White Loves Nunes vs. Harrison, Wants Holm To Retire

Kayla Harrison secured herself an impressive Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut by choking out former women’s Bantamweight champion, Holly Holm, in the second round of their “prelim” fight at UFC 300 last night (Sat., April 13, 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada (see it again here).

After her win, Harrison was quick to call out the top contenders of the division to get her to a title shot. One name she left out was former two-division champion, Amanda Nunes, who posted a video on social media expressing disappointment in the judoka’s failure to name her as a possible opponent (see it here).

When asked about Nunes’ reaction and potential comeback, UFC CEO, Dana White, was over the moon when talking about the possibility of seeing “Lioness” inside the cage against the two-time Olympic gold medalist.

“I did see the reaction, I like it,” said White during the post-fight press conference. “I thought she retired too soon anyway. I like that she is intrigued by this fight, I love it. And I love Amanda. Her and I have an incredible relationship and I think she is the greatest of all time in woman’s combat sports,” he added.

“If Kayla can get in there and win a title, it would absolutely be fun to see her (Nunes) come back to try to win it again.”

Nunes retired in mid-2023, citing nerve damage in her legs as the culprit for her decision. And she did it by going out on top, defending her 135-pound strap against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in what proved to be her last fight (for now).

As far as Harrison’s debut, White was more than pleased to see the latest acquisition to his ever-impressive roster score a huge win over an established veteran like Holm.

“So going in against a legend like Holly, who has a ton of Octagon time, and I don’t care what level Kayla Harrison has competed in, I guarantee you she had serious jitters tonight. She came in there, performed and put it to an absolute legend in all of combat sports,” added White before giving “The Preacher’s Daughter” some not-so enlightening advice.

“Obviously a big night for Kayla and a big win, but I would love to see Holly retire.”

Holm (42) is 1-2-1 over her last four fights and her prospects of reaching another UFC title fight diminished following her defeat to to Harrison.

Lost in the shuffle of all those three ladies is the actual current women’s Bantamweight champion, Raquel Pennington, who won the strap by defeating Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297. And let’s not forget about Julianna Pena, who is eager to return to action herself after losing the belt to Nunes in July 2022.

Indeed, Harrison has a tough road to travel to earn a shot at the strap to potentially set up a super fight against Nunes…just don’t expect it to be for the women’s “BMF” title, according to White.

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For complete UFC 300 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.