Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison will finally meet in the Octagon on November 14, 2026, for the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 334 in New York. The bout represents a culmination of a complex relationship that began when the two athletes trained together at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, for several years. Both fighters have waited a long time for this moment, with Harrison securing the title in June 2025 and Nunes, who retired in 2023, making a return to challenge her former teammate.
The tension between the two was publicly displayed immediately after Harrison defeated Julianna Peña in Newark, New Jersey, to claim the belt. Nunes entered the cage to confront Harrison, asking if she had planned the encounter from the start. Harrison, who had just won her championship, responded with a simple agreement to the fight. It was only later, upon reviewing the footage, that Harrison fully grasped the accusation that she had been scheming against Nunes throughout their time at the gym.
Harrison joined American Top Team in 2018 at the beginning of her MMA career, arriving with the mindset of an Olympic judo athlete who often trains with future opponents. She viewed the arrangement as a way to improve alongside the best, specifically Nunes, who was then the dominant champion. Nunes, however, felt that Harrison’s energy was different, suggesting that her presence was a calculated move to eventually challenge her for the title. Despite this, the two rarely sparred together after their initial meeting, a fact confirmed by gym coach Mike Brown, who noted that fewer than ten rounds of real sparring occurred between them.
The rift deepened in December 2021 when Nunes lost her title to Julianna Peña in a major upset. Harrison, who was then a free agent after her PFL contract ended, was in Las Vegas for the event. Nunes and her family believed Harrison’s presence, along with meetings with UFC executives, indicated a conspiracy to announce their fight immediately. Although Harrison stated she was there to support her teammate, the incident led Nunes to leave American Top Team and open her own facility, ending a decade-long association that had produced a historic run in women's MMA.
American Top Team owner Dan Lambert has described the situation as a complex story with more beneath the surface than publicly acknowledged. He maintains that Harrison was not going to the UFC at that time and that there were other financial opportunities available to her. Lambert notes that while Nunes’s championship belt remains displayed in the gym lobby, her photographs have been removed from the walls, a subtle nod to the end of their partnership.
Despite the history, both fighters claim there is no animosity heading into the fight. Harrison emphasizes her lack of a scarcity mindset, believing that rising tides lift all ships, while Nunes acknowledges the challenge but wishes Harrison had been more honest about her intentions. The match at Madison Square Garden will see two of the most decorated figures in combat sports test their legacies against one another, with the 135-pound title and a long-standing personal narrative at stake.
The event is set for November 14, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount. Harrison enters with a record of 19 wins and 1 loss, while Nunes carries a record of 23 wins and 5 losses. Their journey from training partners to title contenders has been marked by misunderstanding, strategic planning, and the inherent complexities of sharing a facility with potential rivals.
As they prepare for the bout, the narrative remains divided between those who see it as a natural progression of competitive sports and those who view it as a personal betrayal. Regardless of the backstory, the focus now shifts to the Octagon, where the history of American Top Team and the individual ambitions of two elite athletes will converge in a single contest.
