UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison is being targeted for her long-awaited return date at UFC 334.
Harrison has not fought since July 2025, when she defeated Julianna Pena at UFC 316 to capture the UFC women’s bantamweight title.
She was set to defend her belt against rival Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 in January 2026, but neck surgery pushed back the date of the fight.
Now, it looks like Harrison will be returning to the Octagon very soon.
Kayla Harrison Could Return at UFC 334
According to American Top Team coach Anderson Franca, Harrison is targeting a return at UFC 334, which takes place on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
“Her injury was very serious. She had to undergo surgery and spent several months unable to train, but she made a great recovery and, three weeks ago, returned to full training for the fight, which is expected to take place Nov. 14 in New York,” Franca told Sherdog.com.
It is fully expected that Harrison’s first title defense will come against Nunes, a former training partner at American Top Team earlier in their careers before Nunes left the gym.
It’s great news that Harrison is close to getting back into the Octagon, as she hasn’t fought in over a year.
With Valentina Shevchenko and Tom Aspinall both recently vacating their belts due to injuries, it looks like Harrison won’t suffer the same fate as it appears she is well on the road to making a comeback, and fans should expect to see her back in the cage very soon.
Coach Praises Kayla Harrison
Franca had nothing but positive things to say about Harrison, who has had to fight back from a potentially career-threatening neck injury to get back to a place where she can compete inside the Octagon again.
“Kayla is an Olympic champion driven by challenges. She wants to be known as the greatest of all time, and to achieve that she knows she has to beat Amanda, who is considered the GOAT today. So this is about more than the belt. It’s a fight for legacy, and it will be decided by the smallest details. Whoever makes fewer mistakes will leave with the title,” Franca said.
The same coach, Franca, was also in Nunes’ corner when she beat Cris Cyborg in an upset at UFC 232.
“Amanda was considered the underdog against Cyborg, and we trained a lot for that fight. I would say that victory was the second-biggest professional thrill of my career, after Edson Barboza’s retirement. But we are professionals. Now I’ll be on the other side, God willing, helping Kayla beat her,” Franca said.
Harrison is 36 and holds a 19-1 MMA record. She is the former PFL lightweight champion, and since debuting in the UFC in 2024 at UFC 300, she is 3-0 with wins over the aforementioned Pena, Ketlen Vieira, and Holly Holm.
Nunes will be the toughest test of her UFC career to date, but with her incredible judo base, Harrison will likely enter the fight as the betting favorite.
Kayla Harrison Targeted for UFC 334 Return Date