Harrison on verge of 'permanent nerve damage' before surgery

Kayla Harrison says she was "on the verge of having permanent nerve damage" before undergoing neck and spinal surgery at the start of the year.

The American was set to defend her UFC women's bantamweight world title against Amanda Nunes in January but the fight was postponed when Harrison discovered she required an operation.

Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo gold medallist, had surgery on five herniated discs in her neck accumulated following a lifetime in combat sports.

The 36-year-old says the recovery from surgery left her questioning her future in the sport, but after some "soul searching" she decided to return.

Harrison will now defend her belt against returning Brazilian hall-of-famer Nunes at UFC 334 in New York on Saturday.

"Physically, I was preparing for the biggest fight of my life, and I was obviously having an immense amount of pain, having lightning bolts," said Harrison.

"I was on the verge of having permanent nerve damage, but I was also training as if I wasn't. So, I was in the best shape of my life, as good of shape as I could be with that - and then I was in a neck brace for eight weeks.

"I did not feel like myself. I did not feel good - I did not feel good in my body."

The bout with Nunes is being billed as one of the biggest women's MMA fights of all time.

The pair are friends and were team-mates at American Top Team Gym before Nunes left in 2022.

Nunes, 38, is widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and is returning to the sport after retiring in 2023.

She is a former featherweight and bantamweight champion and the only woman in history to hold two UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously.

Harrison is a two-time former PFL champion before claiming UFC gold in only her third fight in the promotion last year.

She says the prospect of competing against Nunes was a driving factor behind her successful recovery.

"Mentally, to go from that high and that low is hard, and when I was finally able to get back on the mat, I really struggled with confidence," said Harrison.

"I think I was so scared to hurt my neck again, number one. That lack of confidence made me question if I was ever gonna feel like me again.

"So, I had a lot of soul-searching to do. If I was just being a mum, I could be fine. But getting back to the Kayla that I was, was really hard. It's been hard, but it's been worth it."

Harrison has won 19 of her 20 fights since her MMA debut in 2018, with her only defeat coming against Larissa Pacheco in 2022.

After questioning her future in the sport over the past 12 months, Harrison did not confirm if the fight with Nunes would be her last.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," added Harrison.

"We'll see. I'm really grateful to be back doing what I love again against the greatest of all time, and I can't wait."