Harrison vs Nunes Preview: Ground Control vs Knockout Power

Kayla Harrison lands 53% of her significant strikes on the mat. Amanda Nunes lands 68% of hers on the feet. That's the women's bantamweight title fight at UFC 334 in two sentences, and on November 14 at Madison Square Garden we find out whose numbers hold up.

Harrison (19-1) is the champion, a 36-year-old American who made her Octagon debut in April 2024. She averages 2.84 takedowns and 0.95 submission attempts per 15 minutes, and eight of her 19 wins (42%) came by submission, with six knockouts and five decisions. Nine of those wins ended in the first round. She's also very hard to hurt on paper: 1.10 significant strikes absorbed per minute, 66% striking defense and 100% takedown defense. Her knockdown average, though, is 0.00, and only 29% of her strikes come standing, with 18% in the clinch.

Nunes ("The Lioness," 23-5) is a 37-year-old Brazilian and UFC Hall of Famer who has been fighting in the Octagon since August 2013. Thirteen of her wins came by knockout (57%), four by submission and six on the scorecards, and she owns 14 first-round finishes. She outlands the champion slightly, 4.55 significant strikes per minute to 4.29, but at lower accuracy, 52% against 62%, and she absorbs 2.62 a minute with 58% defense. Her 0.63 knockdown average is the power number Harrison can't match.

Physically, it's close. Both stand 5-foot-8, but Nunes has a 3-inch reach advantage, 69 inches to 66. She wrestles too, with 2.73 takedowns and 0.70 submission attempts per 15 minutes, plus 82% takedown defense. Even their average fight times barely differ: 10:34 for Harrison, 10:44 for Nunes.

So this one comes down to location. The mat is where Harrison lands more than half her strikes. Nunes has 13 KO wins, and 68% of her significant strikes come on the feet. The question for Saturday: which of them gets to choose where the fight happens?

Early prelims start at 5 p.m. local time, prelims at 7 p.m. and the main card at 9 p.m. Don't miss it: Harrison vs Nunes tickets for UFC 334.