The MMA world reeled on Wednesday as news broke that Kayla Harrison will miss UFC 324 resulting from a neck injury requiring immediate surgical intervention. The bantamweight champion underwent surgery to handle herniated discs in her neck after consulting with UFC physicians in Recent York, forcing the postponement of what many consider the best women’s fight in MMA history.
My UFC 324 update. #kaylaharrison #ufc324 pic.twitter.com/p5KDtOpGhk
— Kayla Harrison Official (@KaylaH) January 15, 2026
The matchup between Harrison and Amanda Nunes, expected to be one of the crucial significant superfights ever contested, will now be rescheduled for a later date in 2026. Harrison’s medical team beneficial the surgical operation, and initial reports suggest she may very well be sidelined for at least six months during her recovery.
The postponement sent shockwaves through the combat sports landscape, forcing the UFC to scramble with lower than two weeks until fight night. Fairly than scramble for a substitute opponent to face the UFC Hall of Famer Nunes, the promotion made a decisive call: elevate Sean O’Malley versus Song Yadong to the co-main event slot.
The Recent Order Takes Shape
🚨 Mise à jour #UFC324
🇺🇲 Harrison vs Nunes 🇧🇷 est reporté ❌️
🇺🇲 O’Malley vs Song 🇨🇳 est le nouveau Co Major-Évent
🇧🇷 Silva vs Namajunas 🇺🇲 monte en Major Card (oui, au détriment de Umar vs Figgy)
🗓 24 Janvier
📍 Las Vegas 🇺🇲(Repost suite erreur dans le design) pic.twitter.com/3LIaFoROfK
— The Matchmaker 🆚️ (@Match_Maker_MMA) January 15, 2026
The UFC 324 important card has been restructured to accommodate the changes. O’Malley, a former UFC bantamweight champion, will headline the co-main event against China’s Song Yadong in what the promotion hopes will deliver the fireworks needed on such short notice.
In one other significant shift, rising Brazilian flyweight Natalia Silva will step into the highlight as Rose Namajunas moves as much as the important card from the preliminary card, replacing what would have been a featured prelim slot. This transformation got here on the expense of the highly anticipated Umar Nurmagomedov versus Deiveson Figueiredo bantamweight contest, which was relegated back to the preliminary card.
Justin Gaethje versus Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title stays the important event, anchoring a card that now carries significantly different stakes heading into the January 24 Las Vegas showcase.
A Devastating Blow to Women’s MMA
The lack of Harrison-Nunes represents a significant setback for the ladies’s division. Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo gold medalist, has been dominant since her UFC debut, winning all three of her Octagon outings with two ending submissions. She claimed the bantamweight title with a second-round submission victory over Julianna Peña in June 2025, setting the stage for the Nunes superfight.
Meanwhile, Nunes—widely thought to be the best female fighter in MMA history—was making her long-awaited return after a two-and-a-half-year absence. The 37-year-old Hall of Famer had retired following UFC 289 but stepped back into the sector specifically to challenge for Harrison’s title.
For now, each may have to attend. UFC 324 airs live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on January 24, exclusively on Paramount+, marking the primary numbered event under the promotion’s latest media rights agreement.