UFC 324 suffers huge blow, loses Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes fight

UFC 324 has lost one of its biggest fights—perhaps the biggest of all.

The Jan. 24 card will be the promotion’s first of 2026. It is set to be headlined by an interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett. The co-main event, meanwhile was a women’s bantamweight fight with champ Kayla Harrison taking on the returning GOAT Amanda Nunes.

That co-main event is no more. According to a report from the Eagle-Tribune, Harrison has pulled out of the matchup with a severe neck injury that will require surgery.

At this time, it’s not clear if Nunes will get a new opponent for the card—perhaps in another interim title fight. However, this will be the Brazilian’s first fight in years, and there are no matchups anywhere near as big. In fact, the Harrison matchup is really the only reason she ended her retirement to fight again.

It’s also possible the UFC could put together an entirely new big fight on short notice to replace Nunes vs. Harrison, but with just 10 days to work with, it’s a long shot.

The good news is that UFC 324 is still a very solid card. Here’s how the card’s lineup looks after the cancelation of Nunes vs. Harrison.

UFC 324 updated lineup

155 lbs.: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett (interim lightweight title fight)
135: lbs.: Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes (women’s bantamweight title fight)
135 lbs.: Sean O’Malley vs. Yadong Song
265 lbs.: Derrick Lewis vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
145 lbs.: Jean Silva vs. Arnold Allen
125 lbs.: Rose Namajunas vs. Natalia Silva
135 lbs.: Umar Nurmagomedov vs Deiveson Figueiredo
185 lbs.: Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev
205 lbs.: Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas
125 lbs.: Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson
155 lbs.: Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez
265 lbs.: Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman
135 lbs.: Ricky Turcios vs. Cameron Smotherman
170 lbs.: Ty Miller vs. Adam Fugitt

Stay tuned for more UFC 324 updates as new information emerges.