Dan Hardy is devastated that Kayla Harrison will not be facing Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 this weekend.
UFC bantamweight champion Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was scheduled to take on her former training partner, Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC), in the co-main event when the UFC returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday. However, news broke last week that the former judo Olympian suffered a neck injury, forcing her to withdraw from the fight.
While the card remains packed with important matchups, there was a strong sense throughout the fanbase that the highly anticipated clash between Harrison and Nunes was the standout bout. Former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy admitted that the matchup was the one he was most looking forward to.
“I'm really selfishly disappointed that the fight's not gonna happen,” Hardy told Submission Radio. “I'm always excited to see Amanda Nunes fight and to solve a new problem, as well. I mean, I feel for Kayla. You’ve got to think (that) of all the injuries that she's had in her time, that she's worked through and worked around, to see her as emotional as she was in in that interview that I saw earlier today with the neck brace on and stuff (was tough).
“I've been very, very fortunate, you know. I am barely injured. I'm old and creaky and things ache when it's cold. But I look at some of the other guys in my generation. And what they deal with now. A lot of the people that got the payouts from the class action lawsuit, that money will go towards medical bills and rehab for a lot of those guys. With injuries happening like this, whether it's in a fight or in training, it just reminds you what people put themselves through on a daily basis. It's a grind. It's a grind every day.
“And even someone like Kayla, who’s probably kicking ass in that gym every day of the week. She's been doing it for many years, all the way through her teens and stuff. So there's got to be some wear and tear there. And an injury like this, it's got her attention. I hope she recovers fast.”
No replacement opponent has been named for Nunes, and it appears likely that the UFC will wait for Harrison to return to full health before rebooking the matchup later this year.
Given that Harrison competed primarily at 155 pounds before signing with the UFC in 2024, and that Nunes has won championships at both 135 and 145 pounds, there has been some speculation that the bout could take place at a higher weight class.
Hardy disagrees.
“It’s not in the UFC's interest to make the fight at featherweight because it's a division that they don't really host and there's no benefit in having either of them win (a title) at that weight class,” Hardy stated. “It can't get you excited for any fights at bantamweight because they're going to look a lot further away from bantamweight.
“The reality is how many more fights is Kayla going to have? I would imagine one, two more maybe at this weight class. And if the UFC really want to keep her around, then they might give her an opportunity up at featherweight just so she can have a couple more fights and not be trying to kill herself to get on the scales.
“She's heavily muscled and she’s very, very lean when she gets to that weight class (135). She's never looked very good at bantamweight on the scales. I just don't think it's healthy for her at this point in her career. I think we're going to get one, two more fights.”
