According to a report from The Eagle Tribune that’s now been confirmed by Léo Walker Guimaraes, Ariel Helwani and other MMA insiders, women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison is out of her UFC 324 title defense vs. the Female GOAT, Amanda ‘The Lioness’ Nunes, due to a neck injury.

Harrison has reportedly had surgery already to repair herniated discs in her neck. Guiamares reported that Harrison will likely be out for about six months, so this much-anticipated showdown probably won’t take place until late in 2026.

The 35-year-old Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) made her Octagon debut at UFC 300, submitting former bantamweight champ Holly Holm with a rear-naked choke at the 1:47 mark of Round 2. She followed that up with a unanimous-decision win over Ketlen Vieira (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 of 2024.

In the UFC 316 co-main event on June 7 of last year, Harrison won the 135-pound strap by submitting Julianna Pena with a kimura with five seconds remaining in the second round.

After Harrison’s victory, Nunes was invited into the Octagon for a faceoff. The former teammates at American Top Team in South Florida were respectful to each other before locking eyes for the cameras.

Most books have had Harrison listed as the favorite in the -200 to -245 range, leaving Nunes as a +170 to +190 underdog.

The 37-year-old Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) hasn’t fought since defending her belt with a UD victory over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June of 2023. Assuming she doesn’t take another fight, which seems highly unlikely, Nunes will face Harrison after a layoff of more than three years.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there was no word from the UFC as to whether the promotion is seeking another opponent for Nunes or another fight altogether to serve as the co-main event.

In the UFC 324 headliner, most shops have Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett installed as a -235 ‘chalk’ vs. Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje, who is +200 on the comeback at Caesars. The total is 2.5 rounds (‘over’ 125, ‘under’ -105).

Pimblett and Gaethje are meeting for the interim lightweight title and the chance to face the undisputed champion, Ilia Topuria, who has taken a leave from fighting to deal with a messy divorce and custody battle for his children.