Card for UFC debut on Paramount+ suffers significant setback

As it prepares for the highly anticipated debut of its new UFC package, Paramount is finding out the hard way that the card is always subject to change.

While it was originally slated to serve as UFC 324’s co-main event on Jan. 24, the UFC women’s bantamweight title match between defending champion Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes will no longer be taking place. That’s because Harrison is now set to undergo neck surgery, which will keep the reigning champion sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Harrison’s absence doesn’t just deprive the UFC debut on Paramount+ of a title match and co-main event, but also the presence of Nunes, who was only coming out of retirement to challenge the champion. In its place, the women’s flyweight fight between Rose Namajunas and Natalia Silva will move from the prelims to the main card, while the previously announced bantamweight showdown featuring Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong will co-main event alongside the Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje interim lightweight title bout.

While the presence of major stars such as Pimblett, Gaethje, O’Malley and heavyweight Derrick Lewis still leaves the Paramount+ debut with more star power than your typical UFC card, it would be tough to argue that the loss of the Harrison vs. Nunes fight isn’t a major blow. Considering her status as a UFC Hall of Famer, Nunes’ return to the octagon was arguably the most intriguing storyline heading into UFC 324, which is now left with just one interim title fight.

The timing of all of this is also hardly ideal, as Harrison’s announcement came during the same week in which Paramount+ raised its prices ahead of its UFC launch. Although UFC’s monthly numbered shows are still more affordable than they previously were following the elimination of the pay-per-view model, both the MMA giant and its new media rights partner were clearly hoping to kick their partnership off with a bang.

That could very well still happen and there will surely still be plenty of eyeballs on Paramount+ next Saturday. But the Harrison news also serves as a reminder of how quickly things can change in the MMA world, especially as UFC hasn’t been shy to hype this summer’s White House show as the biggest in its history.