Joe Rogan thinks it’s important that Kayla Harrison avoids Amanda Nunes’ hands on Saturday night.
The upcoming UFC 334 card at Madison Square Garden will be co-headlined by the return of a legend, as the consensus greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time ends her retirement.
After over three years away, Nunes will challenge Harrison in a bid to regain the women’s bantamweight title, which the ‘Lioness’ formerly held alongside the featherweight belt as a double champion.
Rogan thinks the key to the Brazilian succeeding at New York City is the talent she used to finish Cris Cyborg almost eight years ago.
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Joe Rogan highlights Amanda Nunes’ huge striking advantage over Kayla Harrison
Harrison was initially set to defend her 135-pound title for the first time this past January, but a neck injury delayed her return and Nunes’ comeback.
The champ’s recovery from surgery means the advantage she likely had from the Brazilian’s retirement layoff may have vanished. It’s now been 18 months since Harrison submitted Julianna Pena to add UFC gold to her illustrious combat sports résumé.
While that Harrison edge could have decreased, Joe Rogan has no doubt that Nunes still has the significant striking advantage that she has possessed over her rivals for most of her fighting career.
“She really shouldn’t be fighting at 135 (pounds),” the UFC color commentator said during an episode of his JRE MMA Show. “She’s so big… she has to kill herself to get to ’35.
“Amanda hasn’t fought in quite a while, so you have to wonder does she experience some ring rust? Or is she just so good—she’s the greatest of all time, right—is she so experienced that she’ll just be able to lock right in?
“And then the big neck surgery (for Harrison),” he continued. “She had a disc replaced in her neck. That’s a big one.
“The thing is, in the standup, Amanda has such an advantage. You go to the Cyborg fight, when Amanda knocked out Cyborg, holy s—. If you knock out Cyborg like that-Cyborg was a f—— destroyer.
“Some people just have weird power,” he added.
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Nunes hung up her gloves in June 2023 after outstriking Irene Aldana for five rounds in Vancouver.
She’ll now attempt to begin a third reign at bantamweight, having been unable to leave fighting without getting the itch to compete again.
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