Since joining the UFC in 2024, former PFL champion Kayla Harrison has proven his abilities on MMA’s biggest stage, now former star Amanda Nunes may be returning to the game.

Many see a matchup between these two female competitors to be one of the most exciting possible bouts in MMA. Nunes stepped away from the sport in 2023 after her final victory over Irene Aldana. Meanwhile, Harrison was over in PFL winning millions and building her name, but by the time she made her way to the UFC, Nunes had already retired. Many see this as a missed opportunity as their time with the organization did not overlap, and has left all wondering what could have been.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Harrison touched on her upcoming bout this June at UFC 316 versus Julianna Pena. Additionally, she went on to explain that the fight she has wanted all along was Nunes.

“I have to go whoop on Julianna, but that was always the fight I wanted,” Harrison told MMA Junkie. “I never meant it in like a disrespectful manner. I never meant it like I’m better than you. I just think that she is the greatest of all time. To me, that’s a very clear distinction of where she has put herself, and I didn’t come to the sport to be the second greatest. May we share the cage with respect and dignity, and may the best woman win.”

“We didn’t really train live a whole lot. It was a lot of drilling and situational stuff from what I recall,” Harrison said. “So I wasn’t going 100 percent. She got 40 percent of me, too, but I was at the gym every day. When she wanted to train, I made myself available. Not just because it was a great opportunity for me to train with the best in the world and to have that, but also because I’m a team player. … I try to be what my teammates want me to be, and I try to lead by example.”

(h/t MMA Junkie)