Kayla Harrison’s manager has revealed the severity of the neck injury that forced her to withdraw from her fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 this weekend.
Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was scheduled to defend her UFC bantamweight title against returning former champion Amanda Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) in the co-main event of the UFC’s first fight card of 2026 this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The former Olympic judo gold medalist and two-time PFL tournament winner was forced to pull out of the bout last week after it was revealed that she required surgery to address a neck issue. According to her manager, Ali Abdelaziz, the injury has been a long-standing problem for the 35-year-old and had been troubling her even before she signed with the UFC in 2014.
“Listen, this has been going on for a long time,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “Kayla has not been 100% for the last three years. Since the PFL days she's always had tingling. She couldn't lift her arm and she literally went and got an injection, a whole bunch of medicine, anti-inflammatory, nothing worked.
“The UFC flew (her) up to New York and the doctor (said) ‘immediately she needs to get a surgery because (if) she doesn't get a surgery, this (could be) paralyzing. The disc is pushing on the spinal column.
“But then I'm going to tell you something. Immediately after the surgery, all of the pain is gone! I'm almost 50 years old, I’ve (had) a neck surgery. My neck (was) much better when I was 21.
“The UFC sent the best doctors, best hospital. It's like nothing happened. And I think that's the best decision she made. You know, I'm sorry for all the fans who missed out on this fight.”
