Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes could very well be the biggest fight in women’s MMA.
The potential super-fight came to light at UFC 316 over the weekend as Kayla Harrison submitted Julianna Peña to become the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion.
Following her title win, Harrison called out the consensus greatest female fighter of all time Amanda Nunes for an epic face-off inside the Octagon.
When asked about the magnitude of Harrison vs. Nunes, UFC CEO Dana White recently claimed it would be bigger than Cris Cyborg vs. Nunes in 2019.
With that said, Bloody Elbow ranks the top 5 biggest fights in women’s MMA history.
- READ MORE: UFC legend thinks Amanda Nunes’ comeback could be ‘biggest’ women’s fight since brutal 2016 KO win
5. Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey
Starting off our list at #5 is Ronda Rousey’s comeback fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207.
On Dec. 30, 2016, the inaugural UFC women’s bantamweight champion Rousey was given an immediate title shot upon her return to the Octagon.
Rousey was undoubtedly the UFC’s biggest female superstar even after her devastating title loss to Holly Holm in 2015. Prior to that, Rousey racked up six-straight title defenses in the UFC and finished all of her opponents inside of the first round.
After a year of media silence, Rousey challenged new champion Nunes, who had choked out her greatest rival Miesha Tate at UFC 200.
Nunes and Rousey headlined UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event ended up lasting 48 seconds as Nunes starched Rousey for a standing TKO, beginning a new era in not just the bantamweight division but in women’s MMA as well.
4. Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg
In 2009, grand slam champion Cris Cyborg and Hollywood actress Gina Carano locked horns in the first super-fight in women’s MMA history.
Cyborg and Carano were the first women to headline a major MMA event in Strikeforce. Over half a million people tuned in to Showtime to watch Carano vs. Cyborg, a barn-burner fight that put women’s MMA on the map.
In what would be her final fight before she pursued an acting career, Carano lost her undefeated record to Cyborg in a buzzer-beater knockout.
Cyborg would win her first of five world titles at Strikeforce on Aug. 15, 2009, in San Jose, CA.
3. Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm
Rousey’s first UFC loss took place in front of 56,214 fans in Melbourne, Australia.
UFC 193, which featured an all-women double-header, broke the UFC’s attendance record on Nov. 14, 2015. It was Rousey’s seventh and final title defense against former boxing champion Holly Holm.
Holm closed as a massive betting underdog against the 12-0 champion but looked like a favorite in the fight. Holm absolutely dominated Rousey on the feet, knocking her out with a picture-perfect head kick in round 2 to win the title.
Holm’s KO of Rousey is arguably the biggest upset in UFC history.
2. Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes
It’s likely to be surpassed in the next year, but as of right now, the biggest fight in WMMA belongs to Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes.
Essentially the UFC’s first female super-fight, Cyborg vs. Nunes co-headlined UFC 232 on Dec. 29, 2018. Bantamweight champion Nunes moved up to 145 lbs to challenge featherweight champion Cyborg for a second UFC title.
Cyborg was on a 21-fight unbeaten streak at the time and suffered her first loss in 13 years in 51 seconds. Nunes and Cyborg threw down immediately inside the Octagon with Nunes dropping the all-time great twice for the knockout win.
Nunes became a simultaneous two-division champion, joining Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo as the only fighters to accomplish the feat.
1. Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes
There was a ‘big fight feel’ when Amanda Nunes stepped into the Octagon with Kayla Harrison last weekend.
While more people knew her for ‘Impractical Jokers’ than her two Olympic Gold Medals in judo, Harrison quickly emerged as one of the UFC’s biggest stars over the course of three fights.
Harrison defeated Julianna Peña to become the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, earning a super-fight against the retired ‘GOAT’ Nunes.
Nunes is an outstanding 16-2 in the UFC with 11 title fight wins. Nunes retired with her two belts in June 2023.
Should Nunes defeat Harrison in her return, ‘The Lioness’ will have defeated every champion in women’s bantamweight and featherweight history.
As of this writing, there’s no timeline for when we could see Harrison vs. Nunes. The super-fight could potentially take place at 145 lbs, making it an even bigger fight.