Barely 10 days before her very first title defense, Kayla Harrison was forced to withdraw from her fight against UFC great Amanda Nunes as the co-main event of UFC 324. The reason? A herniated disc in her neck as a result of an injury. The injury was so bad that the current women’s bantamweight champion had to be taken to New York immediately, where she underwent surgery. Thankfully, now she is out of surgery and recovering. But with the fight falling apart, fans waited for Amanda Nunes’ reaction, and she has finally broken her silence for the first time since the cancellation.

‘The Lioness’ had come out of retirement to face Harrison in a highly anticipated title fight. So the abrupt scrapping of the bout clearly caught her off guard. Even after putting together one of the best training camps of her career, Nunes admitted she felt heartbroken after learning that the champion was heading into such a serious surgery just before the first UFC-Paramount card.

Amanda Nunes opens up after UFC 324 fight cancellation setback

“The news about Kayla going through surgery and everything made me sad because I prepared myself a lot,” Amanda Nunes told UFC in Portuguese. “My training camp was perfect. I was prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually, so it’s hard not to get sad with all of that. But what can we do, right? That’s not under our control. Now we just wait and see what the UFC is going to do.”

So, with no opponent left to face at UFC 324, Amanda Nunes’ future suddenly felt uncertain. Even so, fans and experts quickly started floating the idea of an interim fight, with a possible Valentina Shevchenko trilogy stealing the spotlight. Looking at the situation, Julianna Pena also reportedly wanted another shot at her old rival to finally settle their 1-1 score. However, the former bantamweight queen shut down all the rumors in one clear message. Nunes revealed she is only interested in fighting for the undisputed title. Not an interim. 

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“People are talking about an interim belt or fighting someone else, but guys, that’s not happening. I 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’t want to fight another opponent now; that’s not an option. So let’s see if we wait for Kayla or not, and see what’s going to happen. But one thing is for sure. I feel good, I’m training a lot, I’m strong, motivated, and I’m 37 years old with a lot of energy. I’m ready to get my belt back,” Nunes stated in another interview. 

Now, with ‘The Lioness’ looking motivated and ready, her fight against Harrison has reportedly been postponed. The UFC, however, has not shared any official update on the matchup yet. So while fans wait for Dana White to reveal what comes next, Kayla Harrison’s camp has dropped some unsettling details about the severity of her injury.

Ali Abdelaziz revealed the 135 lbs champ’s paralysis scare

After Kayla Harrison pulled out of her fight against Amanda Nunes to treat her neck, UFC fans were left disappointed to miss out on one of the most anticipated women’s bantamweight clashes. Apologizing, the champion later recorded a video from her hospital bed, saying sorry to the fans and her legendary opponent for jeopardizing the fight.

The UFC eventually promoted Sean O’Malley vs Song Yadong’s men’s bantamweight bout to the co-main event. However, while fans now had a new and exciting matchup to look forward to, Harrison’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, revealed just how serious the situation really was. According to him, the former Olympian could have been paralyzed if she had skipped the surgery.

“She couldn’t lift her arm. She literally went and got an injection, a whole bunch of medicine, anti-inflammatory. Nothing worked,” Ali Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “The UFC flew her to New York, and the doctors said immediately she needs surgery because if she doesn’t get a surgery, this can paralyze her.”

That was a frightening situation for Harrison to face, especially so close to fight week. But with her clash against the Brazilian now postponed, she finally has the time to recover and reset before restarting her campaign.

That said, do you think the reigning 135 lbs champion would have difficulties dealing with a more prepared Amanda Nunes after coming back from such a serious injury? Let us know in the comments section below.