Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight championship at UFC 324 co-main event was widely viewed as one of the biggest female fights in UFC history. The idea of a former Olympian turned MMA champion facing the female GOAT instantly grabbed fans. However, the current 135-pound champion’s neck injury completely derailed the matchup, leaving the audience disappointed. Still, Chael Sonnen downplayed the situation, saying the fight never truly mattered because it was only a co-main, and fans did not take that well.

“This, of course, comes with Grace. Kayla has been injured. Get well, Kayla. I’m just asking, what do we think about that? If we’re to be really objective. Don’t pretend for me, please don’t pretend for me, that this is some huge fight. I mean, you lose that ability. It was a co-main event. Call me a skunk at the garden party, I’m trying to have a real, honest, and open conversation with you. Don’t make believe, it’s the co-main event,” ‘The Bad Guy’ stated in his YouTube video.

Although Sonnen claimed he did not care about the UFC 324 co-main event falling apart, he never fully explained why. That lack of clarity only fueled more frustration among fans, who openly disagreed with his take.

One fan quickly responded, “Actually I was looking forward for that fight…” to which another supporter followed with, “I’ll be honest this is the most hyped I’ve been to see a female mma fight.” Amanda Nunes breaking retirement to face Kayla Harrison made the matchup even more meaningful. From a competitive standpoint alone, the fight carried enough weight to excite most fans.

Still, some viewers reacted differently. One wrote, “I’m not even hyped about the main event.” Another fan directly challenged Sonnen by saying, “Im a big fan uncle Chael but you way wrong on this one. I was really looking forward to this one, and this is a let down.”

Nunes and Harrison remain two of the biggest names in women’s MMA due to their respective achievements. When Chael belittled the fight as just another co-main event, a fan pointed out how the female stars like them rarely receive proper appreciation, writing, “I care more now than I did when it was on…Kayla or Amanda may never get the appropriate amount of flowers each of them deserve.”

Another user added, “Yet here u are making a video about it,” calling out Sonnen for contradicting his own stance. Meanwhile, one fan shifted focus to future booking, saying, “Book Nunes vs Dumont or Pena for vacant”. That suggestion would have made plenty of sense. Norma Dumont currently sits at number three and stands close to a title opportunity. On the other hand, Julianna Pena immediately showed interest in a trilogy against Nunes, which also would have been a strong replacement.

However, amid all the contemplation, the UFC chose a safer path and placed a former champion in the co-main event slot for the first-ever Paramount+ CBS card. 

Sean O’Malley vs Song Yadong gets co-main event billing at UFC 324 

Dana White and his team have always viewed Sean O’Malley as one of their most marketable modern stars. For most of his career, ‘Suga’ featured on main cards and eventually became a regular headliner during his run as the 135-pound champion. But after back-to-back losses against Merab Dvalishvili, O’Malley’s stock took a hit, and he found himself booked against Song Yadong on the UFC 324 main card.

Not getting a co-main slot clearly bothered the former champion. ‘Suga’ even hinted in one of his videos that one more loss could push him to the prelims. However, Kayla Harrison’s neck injury opened the door once again. With no interim women’s bantamweight title fight booked, O’Malley’s fight against Yadong was promoted to the co-main event, and he could not hide his excitement.

“Co-main, me? Seriously? UFC 324, I’m the co-main? So sick, dude. So sick!” O’Malley shouted in an Instagram video while reacting to the news.

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For many fans, the bantamweight clash moving into the second-last spot actually lifted the event. A former champion trying to bounce back against a rising contender with title implications on the line feels like a perfect co-main story. While Sean O’Malley has already shared his reaction, Song Yadong has yet to respond, though fans expect nothing but confidence from the Chinese star.

That said, with the new UFC 324 co-main event already drawing solid hype, do you agree with Chael Sonnen that nobody cared about Kayla Harrison vs Amanda Nunes? Let us know in the comments section below.