Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes prediction, pick: Will GOAT feel the rust?
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MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at UFC 334's co-main event between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes.
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Kayla Harrison UFC 334 preview
Staple info:
- Record: 19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC
- Height: 5'8" Age: 36 Weight: 135 lbs. Reach: 66"
- Last fight:Submission win over Juliana Pena (June 7, 2025)
- Camp: American Top Team (Florida)
- Stance/striking style: Southpaw/kickboxing
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
- + UFC bantamweight champion
- + 2x Olympic judo gold medalist (U.S.)
- + 2x PFL tournament winner (2019, 2021)
- + 6th degree judo black belt
- + Multiple judo accolades
- + 6 KO victories
- + 8 submission wins
- + 9 first-round finishes
- + Aggressive pace and pressure
- + Steadily improving southpaw striking
- ^ Kicks, crosses, shifting combos
- + Strong inside the clinch
- ^ Excellent trips and takedowns
- + Solid wrestling ability
- + Good positional grappling
- ^ Works well from half guard
- +/- Coming off 1+ year layoff
Amanda Nunes UFC 334 preview
Staple info:
- Record: 23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC
- Height: 5'8" Age: 38 Weight: 135 lbs. Reach: 69"
- Last fight:Decision win over Irene Aldana (June 10, 2023)
- Camp: Lioness Studio (Florida)
- Stance/striking style: Orthodox/muay Thai
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
- + Former UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion
- + Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
- + Judo brown belt
- + 13 KO victories
- + 4 submission wins
- + 14 first-round finishes
- + Knockout power
- + Dangerous right hand
- ^ From both stances
- + Hard leg kicks
- + Strong inside the clinch
- + Good wrestling ability
- + Works well from topside
- +/- 3-1 against UFC-level southpaws
- +/- Coming off 3+ year layoff
Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes point of interest: Open-stance affair
The co-main event for UFC 334 features a superfight for the women’s bantamweight title between two fighters who operate out of opposite stances.
Kayla Harrison, the southpaw, has steadily pieced together a serviceable striking game since transitioning over to mixed martial arts.
Despite initially throwing power a bit naked from her rear side to start, Harrison has been applying the same discipline to striking that she did for judo. Now, in more recent years, Harrison has appeared much better at staying on balance and setting things up off of her lead hand.
Although I’d still like to see more jabs from said lead hand, Harrison applies a healthy dose of feints to help disguise her offensive intentions.
I also noticed that Harrison has gotten better about playing off of her rear kicks. Whether Harrison is counter-balancing crosses off of the same side of kicks or using them as opportunities to step through into shifting combinations, the current bantamweight champion utilizes solid southpaw tactics and striking lanes alike.
However, when you consider who Harrison’s current counterpart is, it’s hard to imagine that the Olympic judoka will strike longer than she has to.
Enter the former champion, Amanda Nunes.
An orthodox-stanced fighter who came storming aggressively out of the gates as a brawler with a grappling base, Nunes has had to refine both her striking and her natural aptitude for combat. The Brazilian challenger has trained in boxing since she was 16 years of age but has incorporated more muay Thai as her MMA career has progressed.
Initially forcing her way into exchanges (and producing quick results in doing so), Nunes has slowly sharpened her skills, smartly adjusting her pressuring approach. Most notably, Nunes has improved her footwork, circling just outside of range as opposed to rushing right in.
Intelligently circling off jabs or taking the appropriate angles, the double champ has been able to improve her distance management, striking technique and shot selection – making the power coming off of her frame more potent in the process.
Nunes has also proven to use her jab much more efficiently to set up her crosses and hooks, as well as utilizing it as a check to either the head or body to help exit exchanges safely. And after refocusing her camp with her old coach Roger Krahl, Nunes was able to unveil a new southpaw stance in her rematch with Juliana Pena.
Even though I’ll be curious if Nunes was able to add anything new to her game during her three-year sabbatical from the sport, I suspect that the Brazilian won’t get too fancy given the grappling threats that are at play.
Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes breakdown: Winning the wrestling
Considering the crux of the champion’s game, winning the wrestling will be paramount for both parties this Saturday.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo who has six degrees to her black belt, it's safe to say that Harrison is comfortable inside of the clinch. Although Harrison has made attempts for more traditional double-legs along the fence, she largely scores her takedowns off of crafty foot sweeps and tosses in closed quarters.
Even if Harrison misses on her first attempt, she’s good about chaining to the next sensible option and seldom seems lost for ideas when getting to the clinch.
Once Harrison can ground her opposition, her hips immediately serve as staples while she looks to see what advances are given to her. Working particularly well from half guard, Harrison shows a combination of wicked shoulder pressure or strikes and will smartly push down and away on her opponent's knees to establish quarter-to-full mount positions.
Luckily for Nunes, “The Lioness” is not exactly a slouch on the floor.
Coming from a base in judo (where she holds a brown belt), the clinch has traditionally been a space that Nunes also finds comfort operating within. The 38-year-old Brazilian works well off of collar ties and protects her hips like second nature.
In fact, Nunes’ MMA wrestling has come a long way since stepping onto the UFC scene. Not only does Nunes carry solid defensive instincts, but she’s also developed some sneakily good takedowns of her own, often re-wrestling off of her opponent’s failed attempts.
When Nunes can establish positive positions, she is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has proven to be a nightmare whenever working from topside, demonstrating both brutal ground striking and submission savvy alike. That said, Nunes did show a couple of lapses in concentration in her rematches with both Germaine de Randamie and Julianna Peña that put her in some briefly precarious positions – something that a powerhouse grappler like Harrison could replicate if she’s not careful.
Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes odds
The oddsmakers and the public favor the American, listing Harrison -180 and Nunes +146 via FanDuel.
Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes prediction, pick
Between Nunes coming off of a three-year layoff and the stylistic threat of the sitting champion, I can completely understand why Harrison is installed as the betting favorite to win this fight. And if this fight went off when it was originally supposed to at UFC 324, then my pick would probably fall in line with the odds as well.
But with Harrison, who already walks an uncomfortably fine line with her weight cuts to make this division, coming off of a serious spine surgery and recovery in tow, I can’t help but imagine that the playing field of intangibles is now level for this fight.
Don’t get me wrong: Harrison’s preparation and professionalism are undeniable, and she has the ideal style on paper to bring about Nunes’ past demons. I just think that this fight, akin to the main event, is another example where the term ‘stylistic kryptonite’ can exist on a two-way street.
Not only does Nunes have a clear striking edge on the feet, but the former champion also has a knack for hitting counter right hands and countering kicks – both of which are common culprits for Harrison in her fights. Harrison can also be a bit rote with her striking selections and angles of approach standing, which could leave the door even further open for counters.
This should be a fairly clear game plan for the challenger, so I’ll be curious to see who Nunes is working with if she’s not with Roger Krahl for this fight. Harrison, on the other hand, should be in company with her American Top Team-based corner, a team that obviously knows Nunes well.
I suspect that Harrison will get off to a strong start, but she could be in big trouble if she’s not able to inflict damage early and often. Even though Nunes is not beyond being broken, her fighting experience, skills and physicality make her a unique threat to Harrison and a live underdog in this spot.
Prediction: Nunes inside the distance
Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes start time, where to watch
As the co-main event, Harrison and Nunes are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 10:40 p.m. ET. The fight streams on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes prediction, pick: Will GOAT feel the rust?