The greatest female fighter of all time has taken one huge step towards making her comeback in the UFC this year.
This past June at UFC 316, Kayla Harrison became one of the greatest athletes of all time when she successfully won UFC gold after submitting Julianna Pena.
With her win, Harrison became one of few fighters to have won both an Olympic gold medal and a UFC title, making her one of the biggest female stars in combat sports.
And following her title win, Harrison was faced with her next opponent, as former women’s double champion Amanda Nunes stormed into the cage for their first-ever face off.
Amanda Nunes registers drug test ahead of UFC comeback
When Amanda Nunes retired from the sport, it didn’t exactly come as a surprise to the UFC fanbase as there weren’t any contenders left for ‘The Lioness’ to fight.
But then when the promotion announced their signing of Harrison, the Brazilian almost immediately decided that she would likely make her return.
Harrison and Nunes have somewhat of a history as they both used to train together at American Top Team, and Harrison admitted that Nunes got the better of her before she decided to leave.
Despite that, the current champion has improved leaps and bounds since their days training together, and the two are now one step closer to facing each other.
Nunes has now officially registered a drug test session according to the UFC Anti-Doping database, confirming her comeback is on. It is unclear how long the Brazilian has been in the testing pool before registering her test.
However, during a recent Q&A at the UFC 318 ceremonial weigh-ins, Harrison revealed that she agreed to disregard the need for Nunes to be in the testing pool for six months, for a ‘small fee’.
“I haven’t heard too much either, but you best believe I’m gonna be hollering at my boy Ali (Abdelaziz) after this weekend, I had to come to New Orleans, I had to come and support Dustin (Poirier), I’ve been training but now it’s back to training hard and I’m ready to whoop Amanda’s a–.
“I said I would waive that (need to be in the testing pool for six months) for a small fee. I’m ready to fight. Fighters fight,” Harrison continued.
When could Harrison vs Nunes take place?
Although Harrison is open to giving Nunes an exemption from the usual rules, it is unlikely that the promotion will fast track Nunes’ return.
And with that in mind, if Nunes has only just returned to the testing pool, the soonest she could return to action would be in January next year.
However, after Donald Trump recently announced a historic event is set to take place at the White House next year on July 4, almost the entire roster has thrown their names in the hat to fight on the card.
It is likely that the promotion will stack the event from top to bottom, potentially leaving a space for Harrison vs Nunes to take place on that card.
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