UFC 316 features a women’s bantamweight title fight between the current champion Juliana Pena and rising star Kayla Harrison.
Harrison came into the UFC with a lot of hype as she had built up a good reputation outside of the organisation. She was a standout and long-term champion in the PFL.
Since joining the UFC, she has gone 2-0, picking up wins against former UFC champion Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira, improving her overall MMA record to an impressive 18-1.
The fight between Harrison and Pena is a very high-stakes one, with it being rumoured that the winner will face former two-weight world champion Amanda Nunes in her comeback fight to the promotion.
Kayla Harrison’s manager calls for a double header vs Amanda Nunes
Harrison’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has called for a two-fight championship clash between Harrison and Nunes after UFC 316.
Abdelaziz said, “This is what I want her [Kayla Harrison] to do. I want Kayla to win the title on Saturday. Amanda Nunes will come back, and we will fight for this 145lb title. Kayla will beat her at 145 lbs, Amanda will then cut down to 135 lbs, and Kayla will beat her again. Then she will be the double champ.”
Nunes was once the champion at both bantamweight and featherweight before she retired in 2023.
Since her retirement, no one has fought at women’s featherweight as it seemed the UFC had no star power in that division to keep it going., no one has fought at women’s featherweight.
With the addition of Harrison, the UFC could potentially bring back the featherweight division.
Harrison notably cuts a lot of weight to make bantamweight and has fought at lightweight in other promotions.
The return of the women’s MMA GOAT
Many fans have been waiting for Nunes to make her return to the UFC, and it seems that they will finally see the return of who many consider the greatest female fighter of all time.
During a press conference for UFC 316, Nunes was in attendance, and when questioned whether she would want to return to face the winner, the camera panned to her, and she nodded in agreement, signalling she is ready to return.
During the absence of Nunes, no other fighter has been able to match the reign of the former champion.
| Name | Number of title defences |
| Amanda Nunes | 10 |
| Ronda Rousey | 6 |
| Holly Holm | 0 |
| Miesha Tate | 0 |
| Juliana Pena | 0 |
| Raquel Pennington | 0 |
Since Nunes’ retirement, there has been zero successful title defence in the women’s bantamweight division.
If Pena defeats Harrison at UFC 316, she will become the first fighter to defend the bantamweight title since 2023 when Nunes retired.