Kayla Harrison should thank her stars that the UFC stepped up to take care of her. After her UFC 324 pullout, the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, revealed the severity of her neck injury. He said that Harrison was at risk of paralysis if she did not get the surgery. But the 35-year-old finally seems to have turned the corner.

She is back at American Top Team to kickstart her way back into the Octagon. Less than three weeks after the surgery, however, the southpaw appeared in good spirits, even showing off the scar left behind by the operation.

Kayla Harrison returns to the gym with a wide smile

“I think it’s a work,” American Top Team wrote in the caption of the post, alongside a photo of Harrison back in the gym. In the image, she had opened her neck brace to reveal a clean incision across the front of her throat, where surgeons accessed her spine. Yet the gravity of the operation didn’t seem to weigh heavily on the former two-time PFL champion.

Instead, she radiated joy, wearing a wide, relieved smile—as if the first step towards a return to action was all she was looking forward to. There is still a long road ahead in her recovery, and a full return to training will take time. Her most recent appearance inside the Octagon came last June, when she defeated Julianna Peña via second-round submission.

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In her canceled UFC 324 bout, Kayla Harrison had been scheduled to defend her UFC bantamweight title against returning former champion Amanda Nunes. This was her chance to earn a spot at the White House event. She aimed for a showdown with Valentina Shevchenko, if she could get past Nunes. But the risk was not worth the reward.

“Kayla hasn’t been 100% for the last few years. Ever since the barefoot days, she’s always had tingling. She couldn’t lift her arm, and she literally went and got an injection, a whole bunch of medicine, and five lumbar surgeries. Nothing worked,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. This was not even the worst part.

“The doctors said, ‘immediately you need to get surgery.’ If she doesn’t get surgery, this can paralyze her. The disc is pushing on the spinal cord… Immediately after the surgery, all the pain is gone… the UFC sent the best doctors and the best hospital. It’s like nothing happened. And I think that’s the best decision she made,” her manager claimed.

For now, it remains unclear when the fight will be rescheduled. Still, fans can take comfort in the fact that Harrison has begun her recovery after a surgery that was long overdue.

Harrison is relieved of pain for the first time in ten years

The 35-year-old is finally experiencing life without constant agony after undergoing neck surgery. For years, the two-time Olympic gold medalist fought through a debilitating injury that, according to her manager, left her with “20 percent of the power in her arm” and unable to properly grip objects. 

The difference after surgery has been immediate and profound. Harrison told Abdelaziz, “For the first time in 10 years, I don’t have pain.” Abdelaziz believes this breakthrough could transform her career, promising fans “a different animal” when she returns to competition. Despite her eagerness to fight soon, her team is determined not to rush the process. 

Doctors previously warned that competing without surgery risked paralysis, prompting her manager to insist, “You’re not f—king fighting. You’re doing the surgery.” Now pain-free and recovering well, Harrison is targeting a comeback only when fully ready and medically cleared to compete again at full strength.

Kayla Harrison seems genuinely excited to be back at her gym and past the surgery. Now the focus is on healing and getting medical clearance. When do you think she might realistically return to competition?