\u201cLioness\u201d has finally spoken.<\/p>\n
UFC 324<\/a>, which goes down this weekend (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, took a massive hit when reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Women\u2019s Bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison was forced to withdraw from her co-main event clash<\/a> against former two-division champion Amanda Nunes due to a neck injury that required surgery.<\/p>\n The former champion finally broke her silence in a video posted to the UFC\u2019s official YouTube channel, admitting the situation was difficult to process after what she described as a flawless training camp.<\/p>\n \u201cThe news about Kayla going through surgery and everything made me sad because I prepared myself a lot,\u201d Nunes said in Portuguese. \u201cMy training camp was perfect. I was prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually, so it\u2019s hard not to get sad with all of that. But what can we do, right? That\u2019s not under our control. Now we just wait and see what the UFC is going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are talking about an interim belt or fighting someone else, but guys, that\u2019s not happening,\u201d Nunes said. \u201cI only fight for the real belt. If the UFC vacates the belt and finds an opponent, then I fight. But no interim belt for me. I also don\u2019t want to fight another opponent now \u2014 that\u2019s not an option.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo let\u2019s see if we wait for Kayla or not and see what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d Nunes concluded. \u201cBut one thing is for sure: I feel good, I\u2019m training a lot, I\u2019m strong, motivated, and I\u2019m 37 years old with a lot of energy. I\u2019m ready to get my belt back.\u201d<\/p>\n As the self-proclaimed G.O.A.T. made clear, she has no interest in an interim title, meaning a short-notice trilogy bout with Julianna Pena is ain\u2019t happening\u2014 unless Harrison ultimately vacates the belt. For now, all signs point to the champion focusing on recovery with hopes of returning by the historic UFC White House<\/a> event later this year.<\/p>\n