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Kayla Harrison opens up on brutal year that nearly drove her into retirement: 'I wasn't even crawling'

UFC women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison revealed the harrowing year that nearly ended her fighting career, stemming from a severe neck injury that forced her withdrawal from a highly anticipated matchup against Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 in January. Harrison, 36, endured five herniated discs in her neck, with two discs compressing nerves to the point of numbness in her arm and debilitating pain that left her struggling to function.

Despite aggressive treatments—including stem cell therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy—her condition worsened to the brink of permanent damage, requiring emergency surgery. The ordeal left her questioning whether she would ever return to the cage, describing the experience as being 'on the one-yard line and fumbling' after nearly securing her rematch with Nunes.

Now recovered, Harrison’s rescheduled bout with Nunes is set for November 14 at UFC 334 in New York’s Madison Square Garden, marking her triumphant return to competition after a year of battling both physical and mental challenges.

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