Kayla Harrison shocked returning great Amanda Nunes by submitting the former double champion to retain her bantamweight title at UFC 334 in New York.
Nunes, 38, was fighting for the first time since she brought her glittering career to a close in 2023, after dominating at bantamweight and featherweight for years.
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Enticed by the challenge of fighting Harrison, the Brazilian came out of retirement for the bout but could not topple her friend and former training partner.
Just 10 months after neck and spinal surgery, 36-year-old American Harrison ended the contest in the fourth round at Madison Square Garden with a rear-naked choke.
Afterwards, Harrison reflected on the challenges she’s overcome during her career.
As a youngster, Harrison was sexually abused by her judo coach, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty.
Harrison went on to become a two-time Olympic gold medallist in judo before moving into mixed martial arts where she became a two-time PFL lightweight world champion and then won UFC bantamweight gold in just her third fight in the organisation.
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“I was sexually abused at a young age, statistically I’m not supposed to be here,” said Harrison.
“If you’d told me at six years old this would be my life and at 16, I wouldn’t have believed you.
“I’m really grateful, humbled and it’s an honour and privilege to stand before you.”
In the main event, heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane defended his title with a unanimous decision win over Josh Hokit.
In a gruelling contest which featured a record 383 significant strikes in a UFC heavyweight bout, Frenchman Gane’s counter striking off the back foot proved the difference.
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Harrison cements status as all-time great
Harrison submitted Nunes with a rear-naked choke [Getty Images]
Nunes left the UFC in 2023 as the only woman to hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously, and the only fighter, male or female, to successfully defend both belts.
During Nunes’ remarkable run, she beat some of the greatest names in MMA history, such as Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg and Valentina Shevchenko, but it was the prospect of fighting Harrison which brought her out of retirement.
The pair are friends and former team-mates at American Top Team Gym, which Nunes left in 2022.
Nunes started well and stung Harrison with a number of straight rights, but found herself in trouble at the end of the round with the American in a dominant position on the ground.
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Despite appearing to have an advantage on the feet, Nunes continued to try and grapple but it was a tactic which played into Harrison’s hands.
Harrison took the fight to the floor with a powerful hip toss, before later cutting Nunes with a big elbow and right hand on the ground.
The decisive moment came in the fourth round as Harrison caught a kick before throwing Nunes off-balance and locking in the fight-ending submission.
After the fight, Harrison said she was considering retirement after admitting difficulties in cutting down to 135lb (9st 9lb).
“I’ve got a lot of decisions to make when I get home. Every time I make weight I say never again,” she said.
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“I’ve definitely got some injuries after that fight, I’ll need to heal up.”
The win was Harrison’s 20th in 21 fights, solidifying her status as one of the best combat sports athletes of all time.
Nunes, whose legacy is already cemented, suffered the sixth defeat of her 29-fight career.
Gane outlasts Hokit for first title defence
Hokit (left) and Gane set the record for most significant strikes in a heavyweight bout [Getty Images]
Gane was making the first defence of his heavyweight title since being upgraded to undisputed champion in September after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt.
American Hokit was fighting for the belt after only one year in the organisation, with some critics arguing that he didn’t deserve the title fight.
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The 28-year-old’s performance against Gane, however, shows he belongs among the division’s top competition.
Hokit applied relentless pressure from the start, swarming Gane with takedown attempts and punches, with the 36-year-old looking to land counter shots.
Like in his fight against Aspinall, Gane poked Hokit in the eyes, but he was able to shrug it off before unleashing a huge slam at the end of the round.
Hokit’s relentless pace continued with a tiring Gane looking surprised at the American’s intensity.
Despite the pressure from Hokit however, Gane was the fighter landing more consistently from the back foot.
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Gane used his jab effectively and eventually Hokit tired in the later rounds, allowing the champion to take control and see out victory.
Victory sets up a rematch against Aspinall, should the Briton make a full recovery from an eye injury.
On the undercard, British lightweight Chris Duncan beat American Drew Dober by unanimous decision.
The Scotsman had a four-fight win streak ended by Renato Moicano in April, but he returned to winning ways to secure his seventh win in nine UFC fights.
Stephen Thompson brought his 16-year career to a close in style as he stopped fellow American Charles Radtke with a trademark spinning wheel kick.
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Former welterweight title challenger Thompson retired after the contest, with the 43-year-old leaving the sport having won 18 of his 28 professional bouts.
Hokit landed a huge slam on Gane at the end of the first round [Getty Images]
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
