Kayla Harrison wasn’t fazed after learning about the company that her next opponent is keeping.
The UFC’s bantamweight champion is now gearing up for one of the biggest fights in the history of women’s MMA.
Following years of history between Harrison and Amanda Nunes, the two women are set to collide when the new champ welcomes ‘The Lioness’ back to the Octagon.
Nunes initially retired at UFC 289 but now appears to be the perfect time for her return with a matchup that has got fans excited.
To prepare for her comeback after two years away, the former two-weight champion has enlisted the help of a training partner who also has history with Harrison.
Kayla Harrison reacts to Amanda Nunes’ potential mind games having enlisted the help of Larissa Pacheco
During the UFC’s Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas on June 26, where Amanda Nunes was inducted into the Modern wing, an observation was made.
Aaron Bronsteter noted that Nunes arrived alongside PFL fighter Larissa Pacheco, who she will be training with ahead of her comeback.
Speaking to Bronsteter on the red carpet, Kayla Harrison reacted to her former rival working with her next opponent, answering whether she believes that it’s an attempt at playing mind games.
“I saw that… If it is, it’s not working but cool.”
During their PFL careers, Pacheco and Harrison met three times, with two of their matchups taking place in lightweight tournament finals.
Harrison defeated the Brazilian via unanimous decision in their first two encounters before Pacheco got her revenge in 2022, handing the American the only loss of her career.
The UFC bantamweight champion said that Pacheco and Nunes training together makes sense for both women, especially because her former foe hasn’t competed since last October.
“I mean, Larissa’s a great fighter so I think it’s good to have good training partners and I don’t know if Larissa’s fought in a while so maybe she needs some money, so that’d be great.”
Amanda Nunes sends a message to Kayla Harrison and her fans during Hall of Fame speech
While her upcoming fight with Kayla Harrison is sure to be one of the biggest matchups of the year, June 26 was about celebrating everything that Amanda Nunes has already accomplished.
However, the former featherweight and bantamweight champion did touch on her plans for the future during her induction speech.
“I’m gonna get my belt back again and I’m gonna come back here, keep making history. This is what I’m born for. This is what I came here to do so I’m going to keep doing it and I’ll see you guys soon. We’re gonna celebrate together, and new!”
While there has been no announcement on a potential date for their fight, Nunes did state that she’s now back in the UFC’s testing pool, which was a box that needed to be ticked as soon as possible.