UFC president Dana White shared his reaction to Amanda Nunes’s questionable game plan against Kayla Harrison at UFC 334.
Making her return to the Octagon after three-plus years away from the sport, and after retiring in June 2023, Nunes received an immediate title shot against Harrison in the UFC 334 headliner.
Unfortunately for Nunes, the fight did not go as she planned, as she was finished in the fourth round with a rear-naked choke by Harrison in a fight where she showed very questionable fight IQ, as Nunes kept going for takedowns against Harrison despite having the striking advantage on paper.
While Nunes was heavily criticized online for her game plan, White doesn’t feel like she fought a bad fight.
Dana White Speaks About Amanda Nunes’s Game Plan at UFC 334
Speaking to the media following UFC 334, White shared his comments on Nunes’s game plan against Harrison in the co-main event.
“I don’t know if (trying to out-grapple Harrison) was necessarily (Nunes’) strategy, again, every fighter in lots of combat sports who take three years off have a hard time coming back and looking good, I thought Amanda did look good tonight. You’re gonna get in the clinch and Kayla Harrison is not the one you want to be in the clinch with. I actually think Nunes did pretty good in the clinch considering the credentials of Harrison. When she got the opportunity to take her back, she snatched her up as quickly as she possibly could,” White said (via Bloody Elbow).
Dana White Open to Amanda Nunes vs. Kayla Harrison Rematch
Although the fight between Nunes and Harrison was rather one-sided in Harrison’s favor, White admitted that he is open to booking a rematch between the two, potentially for the UFC women’s featherweight title at 145 lbs, which would allow Harrison to not have to cut as much weight, as she has to kill her body to make the bantamweight limit of 135 lbs.
“Sure, yeah, I’d do it again, yeah,” White said.
So, despite a one-sided win for Harrison at UFC 334, don’t be surprised if we see a rematch between her and Nunes soon.
Dana White Reacts to Amanda Nunes’s Game Plan at UFC 334