UFC 324’s Amanda Nunes gets help from former Kayla Harrison foe
Amanda Nunes will be getting some assistance from a former rival of Kayla Harrison.
Nunes will be coming out of retirement at UFC 324 on Jan. 24. The UFC Hall of Famer will challenge Harrison for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It’ll be “The Lioness'” first fight since June 2023.
In preparation for the title fight, Nunes has brought in the only fighter with a pro MMA win over Harrison. Former PFL champion Larissa Pacheco has been invited to Nunes’ camp.
Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Pacheco expressed confidence in Nunes’ decision to return to the Octagon.
“She’s ready. In terms of adjustments, everything, there’s nothing more to say,” Pacheco said. “I’m not going to talk strategy because I can’t, but she’s ready, man. What I’ve felt from her… I can say this: I’ve felt Kayla’s energy before, and now I’ve felt Amanda’s. She’s ready. That fight is hers, without a doubt. She’s walking out with the win.”
Pacheco is well aware of what it’s like to face Harrison in a high stakes fight. She’s anticipating a spectacle when Nunes and Harrison collide.
“I’ve felt Kayla inside the cage,” Pacheco said. “Amanda has trained with Kayla at the gym, but I’ve been in that place where the pressure is highest, which is inside the octagon. So… man, it’s going to be insane. It’s going to be incredible.”
In the mind of Pacheco, Nunes is fighting for the top spot that she never truly lost to begin with.
“She never really lost that throne,” Pacheco said. “Her hunger is to win. “She didn’t have a real challenge left, one that matched her level. She beat everyone. When she retired, it was at a time when she didn’t have a true challenge anymore. It felt like, ‘I’m doing this just for the money.’ At least that’s how I see it; it’s not something she told me directly.”
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Topics:
Amanda Nunes Kayla Harrison Larissa Pacheco UFC
