{"id":2437,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/2437","headline":"Amanda Nunes ends layoff to challenge Kayla Harrison at UFC 334","dek":"The former two-division champion returns after more than three years away to face her onetime training partner for the bantamweight title.","body":"Amanda Nunes is stepping back into the Octagon. The former bantamweight and featherweight champion, who last competed in June of 2023, co-headlines UFC 334 this Saturday, November 14, 2026, at Madison Square Garden against Kayla Harrison, an Olympic gold medalist and her former American Top Team training partner.\n\nNunes walked away from the sport as, by many accounts, the greatest women's fighter ever, having held titles across two weight classes. She says the time off has changed her outlook heading into this fight for the 135-pound title. Without the burden of defending a belt she already relinquished, Nunes says she can simply enjoy competing again, framing this comeback around the pleasure of fighting rather than the pressure of a reign.\n\nThat does not mean she lacks ambition. Nunes has made clear she intends to take the title back from Harrison and keep fighting as long as her body allows, declaring she is here to stay rather than making a one-off return. The matchup carries extra weight given the pair's shared history at ATT, turning a former alliance into a high-stakes rivalry in New York this weekend.","published_at":"2026-11-14T00:49:48.447166+00:00","source_count":3,"written_from":[{"outlet":"The Athletic","publisher":"The Athletic","title":"Amanda Nunes retired as the GOAT. Now she’s back for the joy of fighting","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7780002/2026/11/13/amanda-nunes-ufc-334-kayla-harrison/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Amanda Nunes side-by-side pics: Here’s what UFC 334 co-headliner looks like after more than three years away","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/amanda-nunes-side-side-pics-185033904.html"},{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Amanda Nunes vows to reclaim her throne at UFC 334 and fight until her body quits: 'I'm here to stay'","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/news/ufc-334-amanda-nunes-ufc-bantamweight-title-fight-until-her-body-quits/"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"UFC 334 Paths to Victory: Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ufc-334-paths-victory-kayla-230000110.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"UFC 334 video: Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes final faceoff for super fight","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ufc-334-video-kayla-harrison-230230804.html"}],"image":null,"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}