At UFC 324’s co-main event, Amanda Nunes will end her over two-year hiatus when she faces Kayla Harrison for the bantamweight championship. In her active years, ‘The Lioness’ ruled two weight classes with unmatched dominance before retiring at UFC 289, and outside of Julianna Peña, no one ever looked close to truly challenging her. Still, heading into the first Paramount+ card, fans remain skeptical about whether the Brazilian legend can recreate that same magic.

Nunes has long been known as one of the hardest hitters in women’s MMA, and one clean punch can end a fight instantly. But, because of her long absence, the odds are quietly stacking against the former champion as she heads to Las Vegas looking to reclaim her old throne. Now, Kayla Harrison’s teammate Michelle Montague believes Nunes’ power alone might not be enough to put the reigning champion away. 

Michelle Montague shrugs off Amanda Nunes’ key advantage against Kayla Harrison

“I think Kayla is a champ for a reason, right? She’s been working her whole way through. Her strengths that she has are the best in the world, bar none. And obviously, Amanda’s got great power. Kayla’s got a hell of a chin on her, too. So you gotta come in close enough to punch her to a certain extent,” Montague told Jorge Masvidal on the Death Row podcast.

For the unversed, ‘The Wild One’ proudly represents New Zealand, but she trains out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. With that elite team behind her, Montague built a perfect 7-0 record across Bellator and PFL before making the jump to the UFC, becoming the only female fighter from the land of the long white cloud in Dana White’s promotion.  

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She crossed paths with Harrison during her time training at ATT, and with her in the training camp, the Kiwi recently picked up a win over Luana Carolina in her UFC debut. Having shared the same gym with the champion, Montague knows a thing or two about what her champion teammate brings to the cage.

Harrison’s chin has also remained largely untested at bantamweight, with few opponents able to find the mark. Well, Ketlen Vieira was one of the rare fighters to go the distance with her at UFC 307. Beyond that, the Florida native has finished everyone she has faced in the UFC, most recently submitting Julianna Peña at UFC 316. While her wins have largely come by submission, Montague insists the 135-pound queen carries serious power on the feet as well.

“Kayla also has some gnarly power, too. She dropped me with a head kick once, like years ago. Like what the f—-. She also threw it from like wicked close too. So yeah, man, those stars don’t lie. She throws those s—t up there,” the undefeated Kiwi added. 

Well, that perspective puts Amanda Nunes’ biggest weapons, her power and striking, under real scrutiny. If Harrison can absorb ‘The Lioness’ shots, fans could very well hear Bruce Buffer screaming “and still” at the end of the night. That said, the former champion has not left any stone unturned in preparation. Nunes reportedly brought in one of Harrison’s former opponents for her training camp, signaling she is taking this comeback challenge just as seriously as any fight before it.

Nunes recruits the opponent who defeated the current UFC w-135lbs champ

Before Kayla Harrison became the UFC bantamweight champion, she built an illustrious MMA career in the PFL, where she also captured championship gold. However, the 35-year-old former Olympic judoka saw her undefeated record snapped by Larissa Pacheco at the PFL 10, 2022 tournament. The two met in a trilogy, with the current UFC 135-pound champion winning twice, though it was the Brazilian who had the last laugh on the biggest stage.

Now, with Amanda Nunes also hailing from Brazil, the former UFC double champion has brought Pacheco into her camp as part of her preparation to face Harrison for the belt at UFC 324’s co-main event. Still, even with her former rival helping Nunes prepare, Harrison does not seem bothered by the move at all. In fact, she welcomed it, framing it as a sign of women uplifting one another in the sport.

“It didn’t really make sense to me. I’m a southpaw grappler, and Larissa is an orthodox striker. But the more the merrier. That’s great. I love it when women help build each other up, so I think it’s awesome,” the UFC bantamweight champion told MMA Junkie.

For a while, most of the attention was centered on Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje’s headline bout scheduled for January 24th. Now, momentum is also building around the clash between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes, giving the UFC 324 co-main event the hype it deserves.

With both women chasing history and legacy, the stakes could not be higher. That said, who do you think wins the UFC 324 co-main event? Let us know in the comments section below.