Kayla Harrison’s MMA journey has often drawn comparisons to Ronda Rousey, but the two have rarely seen eye to eye.
Rousey hit back in the way she’s known for, firing shots at Harrison, and neither one was willing to back down from the exchange.
The UFC bantamweight champion specifically dismissed the idea that the main event of Netflix’s first MMA event is the biggest female fight of all time.
Kayla Harrison says Amanda Nunes fight is the real ‘GOAT’ matchup in response to Ronda Rousey’s comments
Kayla Harrison has already fired back at Ronda Rousey following a recent rant, telling the former UFC star that if she wants to settle things, they should meet in the cage.
Rousey continues to promote her upcoming fight with Gina Carano as one of the biggest in women’s MMA history, but that hasn’t changed Harrison’s stance.
The reigning bantamweight champion is set to defend her title against Amanda Nunes once she returns from injury and used that fight as another way to push back against Rousey’s claims.
She took to social media to address Nunes directly, posting on X: “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. The best vs. the GOAT!”
“I don’t think it was meant as an insult,” she said. “I think what she was trying to say is there are so many great female fighters now that it’s hard for anyone outside of Kayla or Amanda Nunes or maybe someone else, like Alexa Grasso now, who knows.”
Nunes and Carano weren’t set for Netflix 3 until recently after Juliana Peña pulled out due to injury. That led fans and fighters alike suggesting it shouldn’t headline over Harrison vs. Nunes.
In March 2024, Harrison mentioned she was waiting on a CT scan result that would determine when she could resume training after neck surgery earlier in the year.