A paralyzing neck injury derailed one of the greatest women’s bouts ever, after Kayla Harrison was forced to withdraw from her fight with Amanda Nunes. That move has not only put the UFC on crutches but has also drawn significant attention from the MMA community, including from one of her past rivals, Cris Cyborg.

Former UFC featherweight champion and one of Harrison’s most storied nemeses didn’t hold her tongue when talks of the UFC 324 bout surfaced. While it isn’t new for Cyborg to toss digs at Harrison, this time it came with an urgency like never before, as she questioned Harrison’s durability.

Cris Cyborg exacerbates the Harrison feud with a critical UFC 324 opinion

Reacting to Kayla Harrison’s withdrawal, Cyborg wasted no time in stirring up the hornet’s nest on X: “You have to wonder if @KaylaH is more durable at 145. I can’t imagine these cuts to 135 being a sustainable career.”

Cyborg suspects that Harrison’s massive weight cut to 135 lbs from a reported walkaround weight of 160–165 lbs is the real enemy behind her stifling injuries. In fact, the strain of the weight cuts might also sabotage Harrison’s performance in the bantamweight division, as well as her recovery process.

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That could inevitably put her out of the competition or send her tumbling down a losing skid should she choose to ignore the long-term health implications of the fight-week cut. And it’s not just Cyborg making these claims.

A recent 2025 study found that rapid weight loss induced by sauna and severe dehydration did more harm than good to combat sports athletes. From impairing recovery and increasing muscle damage to prolonged fatigue and an increase in injuries are some of the many taxing downsides of extreme weight cuts.

At 35 years old, the effects of these timely grinds are more pronounced for Harrison, who has previously sent shock waves through her fanbase with the worrying details of her brutal cuts. Before UFC 307, Harrison notably peed blood, and before UFC 316, when she cut to 135 lbs for the first time, a spine-chilling skeletal picture of Harrison surfaced.

Expert nutritionist Tom Coughlin had similar concerns, as he told Bloody Elbow, “I wouldn’t imagine she could do this any more than twice during a calendar year. Once would be bad enough… Her hormonal health would also be significantly impaired. And the risk of kidney issues during the dehydration phases would be incredibly high.”

While Kayla Harrison is suffering through one of the roughest patches in her UFC career, with uncertainty regarding her return timeline, her UFC 324 opponent, Amanda Nunes, looks physically fit and ready to ruffle some feathers.

Amanda Nunes’ cold response to the UFC 324 cancellation

One of the UFC’s greatest fighters ever, Amanda Nunes, first broke her social media silence after Harrison apologetically pulled out of the bantamweight clash. Her response wasn’t a direct hit or critique of Harrison’s decision. Instead, she posted a video clip of her training to underscore her grind despite being the older fighter of the two.

“The flame continues to live,” Nunes captioned her Instagram post. To make matters worse, the footage showed her training with Harrison’s past rival from PFL, Larrissa Pacheco, whom Cyborg defeated for her PFL Super Fight belt.

Nunes and Harrison have both been in talks for a clash for a long time, even after Nunes supposedly retired from the UFC after a successful bantamweight title defense against Irene Aldana. Even at 37, Nunes didn’t shy away from Harrison’s challenge, having previously defeated the likes of Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm.

And the UFC 324 cancellation won’t be Nunes’ last straw either to force her back into retirement, as she made it clear with her recent training clip. However, at the moment, with fighters stepping in as replacements, the UFC is looking to postpone the Harrison v. Nunes bout, which won’t come to fruition before 6 months.