Disaster strikes UFC 324 as neck injury, surgery cancels Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes

UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Kayla Harrison, injured her neck and will require surgery, forcing the promotion to postpone her 135-pound title defense against former champion, Amanda Nunes, in the UFC 324 co-main event, previously scheduled for Sat., Jan. 24, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

That’s according to a report from The Eagle-Tribune.

Their five-round showdown was being billed as “the greatest female fight of all time” and will likely remain on ice until the champ is cleared to return. UFC 324 already has one interim title fight in the form of Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett and certainly doesn’t need a second, but those details have yet to be revealed.

I guess Nunes was right when she said “nobody was going to do anything with her division.”

Harrison, 35, was reportedly suffering from herniated discs in her neck and flew to New York for treatment, where doctors informed the two-time Olympic gold medalist she would need surgery to repair the damage. A rough estimate for her return is somewhere in the six-month range.

UFC 324 marks the promotion’s debut on Paramount+ and fortunately has ex-bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, to fill the co-main event hole (if needed). “Suga,” an established star and popular fan favorite, is already scheduled to throw down with “peak” 135-pound “Kung Fu Kid,” Yadong Song, in the “Sin City” lineup.

For the latest UFC 324 fight card and Paramount+ lineup click here.