Kayla Harrison may have ascended to greatest of all-time status after she choked out Amanda Nunes in the UFC 334 co-main event.
Harrison maintained control on the ground throughout the fight but a takedown in the fourth round allowed her to immediately jump on Nunes back and apply the submission. The choke was tight and Nunes had no choice but to tap out with the fight ending at 1:29 in the fourth round.
“I think I’m still in shock,” Harrison said about her victory. “It feels surreal. Sometimes I can’t believe my life. I’m just really grateful. I’m humble. It’s an honor and a privilege to stand before you. I mean I’ve got a lot of decisions to make when I get home. I just want to say again thank you New York City, thank you to the UFC for allowing me to make my dreams come true.”
Nunes was quick to set up her striking from the outside throwing punches and keeping Harrison at a distance. Nunes caught Harrison flush with a hard shot and the champion got desperate looking for a takedown.
The confidence was growing as Nunes kept landing her punches but Harrison finally got to the clinch against the cage, although it was short lived success. Nunes separated but Harrison finally got her first takedown, moving into side control and trapping her opponent on the ground.
Harrison was peppering away with punches while maintaining control on Nunes on the ground. Harrison had the crucifix position but Nunes survived to the horn.
On the restart, Nunes went for her own takedown but she ultimately locked up in the clinch with Harrison. Nunes eventually dragged her to the canvas but Harrison was quick to bounce back up before she landed her own throw.
Harrison moved directly back into side control while holding onto Nunes’ head as she started hammering away with punches. Harrison moved back into the crucifix position as she started blasting Nunes with elbows as the former champion was just stuck on the ground.
In the third round, Harrison closed the distance to look for the takedown but Nunes was able to shut her down this time. Harrison tried to rush forward but Nunes reversed and landed a takedown of her own before advancing to the mount.
From there, Nunes tried to maintain position but Harrison was able to explode out, although she was clearly showing signs of exhaustion. Nunes eventually took the back as she started searching for a rear-naked choke.
But Harrison finally turned into her to land on top as she started throwing punches and elbows. One of the shots opened a cut on Nunes over her right eye. Harrison connected with another huge punch just before time expired.
A mistake from Nunes led to a takedown from Harrison and she immediately jumped on the back and applied the rear-naked choke. A split second later, Harrison got the tap as Nunes couldn’t survive the submission.
Harrison now earns the biggest win of her career and it’s safe to wonder if Saturday could serve as her last fight in the octagon. For now, Harrison can celebrate and it’s unclear if Nunes plans to continue competing or if UFC 334 potentially puts her back into retirement.
