Kayla Harrison submits Amanda Nunes at UFC 334 and weighs retirement

Kayla Harrison retained her UFC bantamweight championship by submitting Amanda Nunes in the fourth round at UFC 334 in New York, BBC Sport reported. The victory at Madison Square Garden ended Nunes' return from retirement with a defeat, while Harrison said afterwards that she was considering her own future in the sport.

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Nunes, 38, had not fought since retiring in 2023 after a career that included holding the UFC bantamweight and featherweight titles simultaneously. The Brazilian returned to face a familiar opponent: she and Harrison are friends and former training partners at American Top Team, the gym Nunes left in 2022. Harrison, 36, was competing just 10 months after neck and spinal surgery.

The challenger found early success with straight right hands, but Harrison finished the opening round in a strong position on the ground. According to the BBC's report, Nunes continued to engage in grappling despite appearing more effective in the standing exchanges. Harrison used a hip toss to bring the fight down and subsequently cut Nunes with an elbow and a right hand on the ground.

The finish came when Harrison caught a kick in the fourth round, unbalanced Nunes and secured a rear-naked choke. The result took Harrison to 20 wins from 21 professional fights, while Nunes suffered her sixth defeat in 29 appearances. Before her MMA career, Harrison won two Olympic judo gold medals. She later became a two-time PFL lightweight champion and won the UFC bantamweight belt in her third fight for the promotion.

Keeping the championship did not settle Harrison's next step. She said the demands of making the 135lb bantamweight limit had left her considering retirement, and that she would make decisions after returning home. She also said she had injuries from the fight and needed time to recover. Her comments left her future uncertain rather than confirming that this would be her final appearance.

Elsewhere on the card, heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane beat Josh Hokit by unanimous decision in the main event. British lightweight Chris Duncan also earned a unanimous decision against Drew Dober. Stephen Thompson ended his career with a stoppage of Charles Radtke by spinning wheel kick, retiring after the contest at 43 with 18 victories from 28 professional bouts, according to BBC Sport.