Amanda Serrano is able to take Kayla Harrison’s place.
UFC’s much-anticipated Paramount+ premiere on January 24 took an enormous hit when it was introduced that reigning bantamweight queen Kayla Harrison could be withdrawing from her combat towards Amanda Nunes at UFC 324.
Simply over per week earlier than the event, the two-time Olympic gold medalist revealed that she had not too long ago undergone neck surgical procedure, forcing the postponement of probably the most anticipated bout in girls’s MMA historical past.
“This can be a massive deal,” Harrison mentioned in an emotional video posted on Instagram. “Yesterday I needed to bear neck surgical procedure right here in New York Metropolis with specialist Dr. Kim. So as a substitute, clearly we’ll must reschedule the combat. And I simply wish to ask for forgiveness to Amanda. I used to be actually trying ahead to it.”
Amanda Serrano prepared to exchange Harrison at UFC 324
It is unclear whether or not the UFC will search for a substitute for Nunes’ return combat, but when “The Lioness” desires to stay on the combat card, boxing’s unified girls’s featherweight world champion is keen to step in.
“If the UFC and Amanda Nunes wish to substitute me, I would love to offer her a shot since I am nonetheless in fine condition,” Serrano wrote in X. “We hope the champion makes a clean restoration.”
Serrano is finest identified for her work carrying 8-ounce gloves, however “The Actual Deal” marked her foray into the world of MMA. In 2018, she competed twice below the Combate banner, posting a 1-0-1 file, incomes a first-round submission victory. She added one other win to her blended martial arts resume in June 2021, defeating Valentina Garcia by way of guillotine choke at iKON Combating Federation 7.
Almost certainly, the UFC will select to maintain Nunes on the sidelines till Harrison is recovered and prepared, however there is no denying that Nunes vs. Serrano is a good way to begin the UFC and Paramount partnership.
