Outside Source
News broke Wednesday that Harrison, 35, required and underwent surgery on her herniated disc(s) in her neck. This ejected her from her co-main event championship tilt at UFC 324 against all-time great Amanda Nunes. Rather than slot in a replacement for Nunes on ultra-short notice, the organization will table the bout until later.
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This withdrawal marks the first time that Harrison has pulled out of a fight in her pro career that started in 2018. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo picked up those awards in 2012 and 2016, and her skills translated to MMA to the point that she won not one but two million-dollar tournaments with Professional Fighters League to build a record of 14-0. While she suffered her first career loss at the hands of Larissa Pacheco in 2022, it came after she had already beaten the Brazilian twice prior.
Bouncing into the UFC with a stellar win/loss tally of 15-1, Harrison steamrolled ex-champ Holly Holm in her UFC debut in 2024. A decision victory over Ketlen Vieira springboarded her into a championship showdown with Julianna Pena, whom she wrangled and tapped in two rounds to win the gold. Her first defense was slated for UFC 324, but that will have to wait.
The Road Back Starts Now
“Hi guys,” the pained champ sporting a neck brace stated Thursday on social media while wiping away tears. “I just wanted to give a bit of an update on my end. Yeah, 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. In lieu of that, obviously we’re going to have to reschedule 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 on rebooking this fight at a later date. It has not yet elected to create an interim belt or considered stripping Harrison of her title, although that will depend on her currently undetermined return timetable. According to a variety of orthopedic specialists, recovery from herniated disc surgery can take upwards of 12 weeks to be able to resume standard work duties, to say nothing about training and engaging in combat sports.
The crestfallen yet grateful Harrison continued, “I just want to thank everyone. I want to thank the UFC for taking such good care of me. Dr. D [Jeff Davidson] and [Dr.] Jen [Neudorfer] and the whole team over there. I want to thank Dr. Kim here in New York for seeing me and taking such good care of me. I want to thank my mom, who is taking care of my kids at home. I want to thank all my coaches at American Top Team, and all my teammates. This is day one of recovery, and the road back starts now. I don’t know God’s plans, I know He knows that this is my dream. So, I gotta praise Him in the mountains and I gotta praise Him in the valleys. And so, I’m grateful for this, I hope that 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’ll be back soon.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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