Dana White encourages Amanda Nunes’ ‘lip-smacking’ reaction to Kayla Harrison’s phenomenal UFC 300 debut

Kayla Harrison submits Holly Holm in under two rounds as women's bantamweight GOAT Amanda Nunes teases a potential return to MMA.

Dana White encourages Amanda Nunes’ ‘lip-smacking’ reaction to Kayla Harrison’s phenomenal UFC 300 debut

Dana White weighs in on a possible Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes super fight (Source: Instagram/IMAGO)

There was much doubt about a drop-down to 135-pound, but Kayla Harrison made it look easy in her spectacular debut. She notched a second-round submission win against mainstay Holly Holm at UFC 300. Her performance was so dominant that even Amanda Nunes took notice. UFC CEO Dana White would gladly welcome Nunes back in the hopes of making a super fight.

The retired former double champion Amanda Nunes was watching along from home when Harrison made her UFC debut. She hung up her gloves and stakes to the bantamweight title after defeating Irene Aldana last year. However, she kept a close interest in the divisional workings and posted a video watching Harrison on social media. White addressed the incident at the post-fight press conference. 

So well [they] won't fight right now. I think what Amanda was saying was [in the video] 'Interesting let's see how this plays out if she wins the belt then maybe I come back'... that's what I read from it.
Dana White at the UFC 300 post-fight presser
YouTube video

Kayla Harrison defeated the 15-7 Holm via submission (rear-naked choke) – at the 1:47 mark of Round 2. The American Judo specialist revealed her desire to become UFC champion as soon as possible. Nunes took to social media to post a “lip-smacking” montage with the video playing behind, probably saying, “Let’s go.” Furthermore, Dana White stated that Nunes and Harrison would compete for the bantamweight gold rather than a women’s BMF title if the fight happened.

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In her pre-fight Media Day presser, UFC 300 star Jessica Andrade had made a case for a women’s BMF title. She even invoked big names like Valentina Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes. White said that with none of them holding a title right now, Nunes probably just instigated a normal title challenge in the long run. It remains to be seen if Harrison will capture the bantamweight gold and if Nunes will make a spectacular return and challenge for the title.

MMA stars make fantasy booking for Kayla Harrison’s future fights

Veteran Amanda Nunes remains the GOAT of women’s MMA. Two-time PFL champ Kayla Harrison’s debut at UFC 300 had her attention, with even Dana White noticing it. Nunes would later post a video of Harrsion’s post-fight interview targeting the bantamweight title picture. She captioned it “Chama” (Fire in English), which fighters like Alex Pereira often substitute for “Let’s Go.”

Kayla Harrison versus Holly Holm at UFC 300; Amanda Nunes and others react
Kayla Harrison versus Holly Holm at UFC 300; Amanda Nunes and others react (Source: UFC.go.com)

The debut performance had other fighters excited as well. UFC stars like Kevin Lee and Belal Muhammad chimed in on Harrison’s potential future bouts. PFL star Derek Brunson even put forth a future matchup. Boxing icon Claressa Shields remained in awe of Harrison’s performance. Kevin Lee felt Amanda Nunes should come out of retirement for the super fight.

Nunes and Harrison trained at the American Top Team (ATT) for a long time before the former bantamweight champion departed the gym. Now that they are no longer teammates, it remains an ideal time for the UFC to book a dream fight.

On the other hand, Muhammad felt the UFC should book a fight between Harrison and Julianna Pena. This fight would draw a large crowd as Pena remains one of the best trash talkers in women’s MMA. As such, the build could have exciting moments. On the other hand, Brunson wanted Harrison to get the next title shot against Pennington.

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