Kayla Harrison’s decision to forego UFC 324 for neck surgery appears to be a blessing in disguise.
Harrison was slated to defend her UFC women’s bantamweight title against the returning Amanda Nunes this Saturday in Las Vegas, but the ongoing neck injury forced her out of the bout.
According to Harrison’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, the injury wasn’t new, and it had been something she’s been dealing with for years.
“Listen, this has been going on for a long time,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “Kayla
has not been 100 percent for the last three years, since the PFL days. She’s always had tingling, but she just… she couldn’t lift her arm and she literally got an injection, a whole bunch of medicine, anti-inflammatory, nothing worked.”
Harrison captured the title with a submission win over Julianna Peña at UFC 316 this past June. The bout with Nunes, who retired as champion at UFC 289 in June 2023, was a long-awaited matchup fans have been clamoring for since Harrison was with PFL.
Abdelaziz says when Harrison met with doctors ahead of the surgery in New York, they said the procedure was much-needed, and it could’ve cost Harrison her title, her career, and her regular lifestyle
“The UFC flew her to New York and the doctor said immediately she needs to get surgery, because if she doesn’t get surgery, this can paralyze her,” Abdelaziz explained. “The disc [was] pushing on the spinal cord. But then I’m going to tell you something, immediately after the surgery, all the pain is gone.
“I’m almost 50 years old. I had a neck surgery, my neck is much better than when I was 21. … The UFC sent [her to] the best doctors, best hospital, it’s like nothing happened. And I think it’s the best decision she made, and I’m sorry to all of the fans who missed out on this fight, but Amanda Nunes is not going anywhere. She probably needed a little bit more time too.
“And listen, I feel for her, too because she put a lot of time and effort into this, and in a way, Kayla was gutted. She was heartbroken. I still support her decision, 100 percent because if you go in and lose, [and] you were not the best fighter, that’s OK. But if you go in and lose because you’re injured, [it] will haunt her for the rest of her life.”
