Kayla Harrison, Amanda Nunes react to Ronda Rousey UFC return rumours - 'She has to be smart and do her thing'
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Published 14/01/2026 at 17:48 GMT
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Rumours have circulated over a possible return to UFC action for the MMA legend Ronda Rousey. The record-setting former bantamweight champion has been out of the Octagon since 2016 with Kayla Harrison currently wearing the crown ahead of a showdown with Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 on TNT Sports Box Office. Harrison and Nunes both offered their thoughts on the Rousey speculation.
'I'm telling her not to do that' - Harrison tells Rousey not to return to UFC
Video credit: TNT Sports
Kayla Harrison has warned Ronda Rousey not to return to UFC, although the reigning women’s bantamweight champion admits a potential super-fight with the MMA legend would be "great for the fans".
Harrison claimed her title with an impressive submission victory over Julianna Pena at UFC 316 in June 2025 and makes her first defence against the returning Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 live on TNT Sports Box Office.
Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of the bout, Harrison reacted to ongoing rumours about a possible return to competitive action for Rousey, who retired from the sport in 2016 – off the back of a loss to Nunes.
"I suggest that she does not come back," said Harrison, and was equally forthright over the suggestion Rousey could fight women’s boxing legend Katie Taylor, saying: "I also suggest that she doesn’t do that.
"If I’m in her inner circle, I’m telling her not to do that."
Harrison did accept that a potential showdown with the sporting icon would garner significant interest, likely with lucrative returns.
"It would be great for the fans. It’s free money, I’d take it," Harrison said.
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Rousey was the first woman signed to UFC in 2012 and embarked on a record-setting bantamweight title reign until her shock defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in 2015. Â
Considered the flagbearer for women in the sport, she defended her title six times consecutively, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
Nunes - Rousey’s last opponent - returns to face Harrison in Las Vegas after two and a half years out of the sport herself following her last fight at UFC 289, where she defended the bantamweight crown against Irene Aldana before vacating the belt.
Speaking about Rousey, the Brazilian also urged caution over a possible return, but welcomed the idea of seeing her back in the Octagon.
"I don’t know what Ronda Rousey wants to do with her life, but I know how it is for a fighter, an athlete, to be away from this sport," she said.
"So whatever she is going to do, I hope she has good people to guide her in the right way, because if you throw her under the bus again, I feel like she’s only going to go down. I feel like she has to be smart and do her thing.
"But it would be great to see her back maybe in the future, why not?"
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'She's an athlete, I'm a fighter' - Nunes bullish ahead of Harrison UFC 324 showdown
Video credit: TNT Sports
Nunes and Harrison face off in Las Vegas in the co-main event of UFC 324 with the former determined to win back the title she successfully held twice during her initial UFC tenure.
The returning former champion originally beat Miesha Tate for the belt in 2016 at UFC 200, holding it until 2021, when she was beaten by Pena but reclaimed the title the following summer.
She also moved up a weight to claim the featherweight title in 2018 after knocking out Cris Cyborg – becoming the first woman in UFC history to hold both titles simultaneously.
After beating Aldana in 2023, she vacated her titles and has been out of action since.
Following Harrison’s victory over Pena last June, Nunes decided she was ready to come out of retirement and try and reclaim her gold in a much-anticipated showdown.
"I would have come back anyway but it’s more special with Kayla," she said.
"She has a lot on her resume and I’m very excited. With or without her, I would have come back but with her it’s even better.
"I still feel like a double champion for sure. The lioness is in me and I still feel exactly like at UFC 200 when I chased that belt for the first time."
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Nunes back in UFC for more than one fight
Video credit: TNT Sports
Harrison, a double judo Olympic champion before her MMA switch, believes the fight will help give women’s UFC more exposure.
"I think it’s an honour," she admitted "Our accolades speak for themselves, our records speak for themselves.
"I think this is hopefully going to catapult women’s MMA to a whole new stratosphere. My hope and my prayer is that a ton of little girls watch this fight and they see it and grow up and they surpass everything Amanda and I have ever done.
She added: "At the end of the day, the UFC is a business and who puts butts in seats? It’s definitely Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett. I think that Amanda and I are going to go out there and put on some fireworks. We’re going to make a ton of new people fans of women’s MMA."
Harrison and Nunes have history, having previously shared training environments and even coaches, but neither fighter believes it will impact the bout.
"I try not to spend too much time focusing on it [previously training together]. It’s just another fight," said Harrison.
"We both have to go in there and it’s just us and they lock the cage door and we have to go out there and implement our game plan.
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UFC 300 Highlights: Harrison secures submission win over Holm
Video credit: TNT Sports
"There are no secrets here, we all know I’m going to try and take her down, we all know she’s going to try to keep standing. This has been the story of my life for the past 20 fights. It’s about going out there and instilling my will."
Nunes is equally aware of what to expect when the two stars of the sport face off.
"I know what she’s capable of," she said. "She knows what I’m capable of. She’s strong, has a good ground game, Judo, but it comes down to MMA though. The difference between me and her is that she’s an athlete and I’m a fighter.
"I’m going to look for her weaknesses. I’m going to look for body shots and drop her with body shots, and if it’s not body shots then I’m going for the face."Â
UFC 324 is available to purchase on TNT Sports Box Office
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