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Kayla Harrison responds to Ronda Rousey criticism with message to Amanda Nunes
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- Kayla Harrison responds to Ronda Rousey criticism with message to Amanda Nunes
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
Ronda Rousey has been a regular point of comparison for Kayla Harrison since she first got into MMA.
Even though the two have never crossed paths, the talk isn’t likely to stop anytime soon. Both are former Olympic judokas who made their names in UFC’s 135-pound division.
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While Harrison often praised Rousey earlier in her career, things have changed over time. After her win against Raquel Pennington at UFC 297, she offered a clear assessment of the upcoming Netflix main event between Rousey and Peña.
The bantamweight champion made it clear she doesn’t see the fight as a defining moment for women’s MMA, pointing out that there have been bigger matchups before. She also didn’t hold back on her thoughts about how Netflix is handling its promotion of the bout.
Kayla Harrison fires back at Ronda Rousey by promoting Amanda Nunes fight as ‘greatest of all time’
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
After Ronda Rousey’s recent comments, Kayla Harrison wasted no time telling her to step up and face her directly. But the back-and-forth didn’t stop there.
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Rousey continues to highlight the size of her upcoming bout with Gina Carano, but Harrison remains unconvinced.
The reigning bantamweight champion, set to defend her title against Amanda Nunes after recovering from injury, took to social media to frame their fight as another major moment in the sport – one she believes holds more weight than anything involving Rousey right now.
“Good morning @Amanda_Leoa (Nunes)! I can’t wait for us to have the greatest fight of all time and take women’s MMA to a whole new level,” she posted on X. “The best vs. the GOAT!”
While discussing Harrison, Rousey compared her to Paddy Pimblett but was quick to clarify that it wasn’t meant as an insult toward the former interim title challenger.
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It’s true that Harrison vs Nunes was originally planned as the co-main event for UFC 324, a decision many felt didn’t reflect just how significant that matchup is.
On the other hand, Carano hasn’t competed in nearly two decades, which is part of why many are skeptical about calling it the biggest women’s fight ever.
Looking ahead, Harrison has plans to move up to featherweight after facing Nunes. She mentioned in late March that she had a CT scan scheduled soon, which would determine when she could resume drilling and eventually return to full training following neck surgery earlier this year.
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