Harrison's only conqueror predicts Nunes finishes her 'very easily' at UFC 334

Larissa Pacheco, the only fighter ever to defeat Kayla Harrison, has predicted that Amanda Nunes will finish the reigning UFC bantamweight champion “very easily” when the two meet at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden.

Pacheco has unique insight into Harrison’s game. The former two-division PFL champion shared the cage with Harrison three times between 2019 and 2022, losing the first two bouts before earning revenge in their trilogy fight. In total, the pair have competed for 65 minutes together — a familiarity significant enough that Nunes invited Pacheco to join her training camp for Harrison in late 2025, though the fight was postponed and Pacheco was not involved in the final preparation for UFC 334.

“I believe [Nunes] has so many, so many, so many weapons,” Pacheco told MMA Fighting. “She has more weapons to win this fight than Kayla does.”

Pacheco acknowledged Harrison’s formidable qualities, describing her as “a very strong athlete” and “simply the best” in grappling, a discipline underpinned by two Olympic judo gold medals. But she argued that Nunes matches Harrison in every area that matters in mixed martial arts.

“Amanda is a complete athlete,” Pacheco said. “She has that grappling game. She’s very strong as well. She knows how to use her strength both in striking and in grappling, in jiu-jitsu. She’s an exceptional black belt. There’s nothing more to say. Her jiu-jitsu is impeccable and extremely high-level for MMA.”

Harrison enters the fight unfinished in her MMA career, going 3-0 in the UFC with wins over Holly Holm, Ketlen Vieira, and Julianna Peña. Nunes, widely regarded as the greatest female fighter in UFC history — a label Harrison herself has applied — presents a different challenge to anything Harrison has faced before, according to Pacheco.

“Kayla is a very strong athlete and very durable as well, I think because of her physical structure,” Pacheco said. “But Amanda is going to test her in a different way. Kayla has a lot more to worry about than Amanda does.”

Pacheco was unequivocal about where she sees the danger lying for Harrison, pointing to Nunes’ ability to threaten a finish from multiple positions.

“Amanda dominates on the ground, so if the fight goes to the ground, she can submit her easily,” Pacheco said. “If it stays on the feet, she can knock her out very easily. I believe Amanda is going to win this one convincingly.”

Pacheco added a caveat, noting she was not present for the final stages of Nunes’ camp and could not speak to the Brazilian’s current mindset heading into the bout.