Matthew Wells, MMA JunkieThu, January 15, 2026 at 3:00 AM UTC·2 min readAn unlikely challenger has thrown her name into the hat as a potential replacement for Kayla Harrison to face Amanda Nunes at UFC 324.
Wednesday, news of an injury to Harrison’s neck made headlines, forcing her out of next weekend’s numbered event in Las Vegas. The superfight against Nunes is expected to be postponed for at least six months while Harrison recovers from surgery.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, should the UFC and Nunes want to keep the planned fight date, WBO and WBA featherweight champion boxer Amanda Serrano has offered to step in to take the fight.
"I would love the challenge as I'm still in fight shape," Serrano wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Hope the champ recovers well."
Serrano, who has become one of the faces of women’s boxing under Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions banner, has MMA experience. As a boxer, Serrano has a 48-4-1 record. She has a 2-0-1 record in MMA, with her most recent fight against Valentina Garcia in June 2021. Serrano won the fight by submission in 60 seconds. Her other MMA win, which came in 2018, was also a first-round submission win.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt's an out-of-left-field offer from Serrano, who headlined an MVP event on Jan. 3 in Puerto Rico, defeating Reina Tellez by decision. It's unlikely that the UFC would entertain a short-notice replacement from outside of the promotion to welcome Nunes back from retirement, much less one who has spent the majority of her combat sports career in the boxing ring. Regardless, it shows Serrano is game for the opportunity, should it present itself.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 324: Champion boxer offers to replace injured Kayla Harrison
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