Kayla Harrison shares post-operative update after withdrawing from UFC 324

Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison begins the long road to recovery.News broke on Wednesday that Harrison, 35, needed and underwent surgery on her hernia(s) in her neck. This put her out of her co-main event championship position at UFC 324 against the all-time great Amanda Nunes. Instead of bringing in a replacement for Nunes at very short notice, the organization will postpone the fight until later.

This withdrawal marks the first time Harrison has withdrawn from a fight in her professional career that began in 2018. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo received these awards in 2012 and 2016, and her skills translated into MMA to the point where she won not one but two million dollar tournaments with the Professional Fighters League, compiling a 14-0 record. Although she suffered her first career loss at the hands of Larissa Pacheco in 2022, it came after beating the Brazilian twice before.

Harrison bounced into the UFC with a stellar win/loss tally of 15-1 and steamrolled ex-champ Holly Holm in her UFC debut in 2024. A decision victory over Ketlen Vieira put her in a championship showdown with Julianna Pena, whom she feuded and tapped in two rounds to win the gold. Her first defense was scheduled for UFC 324, but that will have to wait.

The road back starts now

“Hey guys,” the pained champion in a neck brace It reported this on social media on Thursday as he wipes away tears. “I just wanted to give an update on my side. Yes, this is a tough one. I had to have surgery on my neck yesterday, here in New York City with the specialist Dr. [Han Jo] Kim. Instead, we will obviously have to resist the fight
[with Nunes]. And I just want to say, I’m sorry… to Amanda, I was really looking forward to it.”The promotion has since stated that it plans to rebook this fight at a later date. No decision has yet been made to create an interim belt, or to strip Harrison of her title, although that will depend on her currently undetermined return schedule. According to several orthopedic specialists, recovery from hernia surgery can take up to twelve weeks before you can resume standard work duties, not to mention training and practicing martial arts.

A dejected but grateful Harrison continued: “I want to thank everyone. I want to thank the UFC for taking good care of me. Dr. D. [Jeff Davidson] And [Dr.] Jen [Neudorfer] and the whole team there. I want Dr. Thank you to Kim here in New York for her visit and for her good care of me. I would like to thank my mother, who takes care of my children at home. I want to thank all my coaches at American Top Team and all my teammates. This is the first day of recovery and the road back begins now. I don’t know God’s plans, I know He knows this is my dream. So I must praise Him in the mountains and I must praise Him in the valleys. And so I am grateful for this, I hope it brings me closer to Him and that He uses this story in a mighty way. So that’s it. I’m sorry, guys; I’ll be back soon. I will be back soon.”