Laura Sanko and Din Thomas, who coached Amanda Nunes for years, break down Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes at UFC 334, a matchup Din calls the greatest women's fight of all time.
How Din Thomas sees Harrison vs. Nunes
Din Thomas says he's rooting for Amanda Nunes after years as her coach, but he didn't make a formal call on the fight.
Din says Nunes has a huge advantage on the feet, and believes she can take Harrison down too.
Nunes' biggest danger is getting pinned against the fence, where Din says Harrison's top game is "a death sentence."
Din thinks Harrison has the tougher road, between neck surgery and a hard cut to 135 pounds.
Laura Sanko didn't name a winner, but said Nunes may have more avenues to win.
Watch the full Harrison vs. Nunes breakdown
On One On One MMA, Laura Sanko and Din Thomas preview the UFC 334 co-main event, Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes. Din, who coached Nunes for years and knows both women well, shares what he saw when each fighter came on his show, from Nunes' renewed energy to Harrison's determination after neck surgery. They break down the tale of the tape, each fighter's path to victory and fan questions on striking, conditioning and the weight cut.
0:00 Initial thoughts: why this fight is personal for Din Thomas
2:38 Tale of the tape: Harrison vs. Nunes stats
4:32 A look at Amanda Nunes
11:07 A look at Kayla Harrison
13:33 Paths to victory
19:19 Fan questions
Initial thoughts: why this fight is personal for Din Thomas (0:00 to 2:38)
Laura Sanko welcomes Din Thomas to talk about the UFC 334 co-main event, and Din admits it feels strange to break down. He knows both women well outside of the fight game, and has even spent time at Kayla Harrison's house.
"It's really weird for me that this is like the greatest women's fight of all time," Din said. He explained that a fight this big usually features someone you can root against, not two people you're close to.
Laura agreed, calling both fighters wonderful people, great moms and incredibly accomplished, and told Din he could sit out any topic that put him in a tough spot.
Tale of the tape: Harrison vs. Nunes stats (2:38 to 4:32)
Laura ran through the numbers, and the two are close in a lot of areas. Harrison has been far harder to hit, while Nunes lands slightly more often and has the better takedown accuracy.
Stats | Kayla Harrison | Amanda Nunes |
|---|---|---|
Age | 36 | 38 |
Record | 19-1 | 23-5 |
UFC record | 3-0 | 16-2 |
Height | 5'8" | 5'8" |
Reach | 66 in. | 69 in. |
Significant strikes landed per minute | 4.29 | 4.55 |
Striking accuracy | 62% | 51% |
Significant strikes absorbed per minute | 1.1 | 2.6 |
Striking defense | 66% | 57% |
Takedowns per 15 minutes | 2.8 | 2.73 |
Takedown accuracy | 37% | 54% |
Takedown defense | 100% | 82% |
Submission average per 15 minutes | 0.9 | 0.7 |
Laura called Harrison's 1.1 strikes absorbed per minute extremely low. On Harrison's 100% takedown defense, she guessed few opponents have even tried to take her down, and Din agreed it's close to a meaningless stat.
A look at Amanda Nunes (4:32 to 11:07)
Nunes hasn't fought since June 2023, and a planned fight with Harrison fell through when Harrison got injured. Din, who has helped train Nunes since her title win over Miesha Tate and was set to be her head coach for that earlier Harrison fight, said he wasn't part of this camp, but "it's still all love."
When Nunes came on his show, Din said she looked like a new person. "She's so alive right now," he said. "Her energy now is better than I've ever seen it."
He contrasted that with her loss to Julianna Peña, which he called her big blemish. Din said you could tell before the fight that she didn't fully want to be there, and that afterward she told him she thought she was done. "Now seeing her, it's like you could tell she's found the love of competition," he said.
Din pointed to the fire Nunes brought against Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg, and said this fight has that same extra motivation. Laura framed it as a legacy fight over who gets called the GOAT, and Din said the timing makes it fair. "If Kayla beats Amanda now, she beat Amanda fair and square in the best form possible," he said, and the same goes for Nunes.
Din even thinks the time off may be harder on Harrison. "Her adversity since her last fight is a lot worse than Amanda's adversity since her last fight," he said. Laura also noted the two live about 15 minutes apart in South Florida.
A look at Kayla Harrison (11:07 to 13:33)
When Harrison came on the show, Din said her energy wasn't as high as Nunes', but her determination was just as strong. He described the impression she gave: she's coming off neck surgery, raising kids and unsure how she'll make weight, but would rather do anything than miss this fight.
Laura asked about Harrison's weight cut, noting that more than half of her camp is usually cardio and dieting. Din said Harrison has to walk six miles every day, and that's why he thinks this is tougher for her.
"She didn't look anywhere near 135 pounds a couple of weeks ago. Amanda looked like she could fight in two weeks," Din said. Harrison did tell him she's back to handling the toughest training day of the week and is proud of it. "She's climbing a mountain," he said.
Paths to victory (13:33 to 19:19)
Laura said Nunes seems to have a big advantage on the feet, while Harrison's grappling edge may be smaller. "Nail on the head," Din said, adding that people shouldn't overlook Nunes' wrestling. "I think Amanda could take Kayla Harrison down." On the mat, he said Harrison is dominant on top, but Nunes has the edge if Harrison ends up on the bottom.
Laura asked how Larissa Pacheco beat Harrison. Din said Pacheco's camp worked heavily on her guard, sweeps and getting back up, so she could survive takedowns, return to her feet where she had the edge and take over once Harrison tired. Laura said Harrison's striking has improved tremendously since then.
Din said he's rooting for Nunes, and her path is clear: expect to get taken down a few times, but never let Harrison get a dominant position against the fence. "When she takes you down against the fence and gets half guard on you, it's a death sentence," he said, pointing to Holly Holm and Julianna Peña. If Nunes stays off the fence and keeps her distance, he said, "Amanda can break her down and knock her out."
Din added one prediction he's sure of: "At some point in this fight, one of them is going to realize it's time to retire."
Laura said she doesn't name winners on the channel and isn't sure who she'd choose, but it feels like Nunes "maybe has more avenues to win." She said Nunes can't get caught in a bad position early, and if she avoids that, Laura sees her building momentum, or simply going out there and putting hands on Harrison. Din called that "a really strong possibility."
Fan questions (19:19 to 24:59)
Is this the female equivalent of Conor McGregor returning? "Oh, don't disrespect these women like that," Din laughed. "This is bigger to me."
Can Harrison do enough on the feet to earn Nunes' respect? Din said she hits hard and has an underrated left high kick and a strong left hand. In a straight kickboxing match it's no contest, he said, but when Harrison mixes in takedowns, "Kayla can catch her."
On conditioning, Din said it comes down to pacing, game planning and staying out of bad positions. Laura wondered whether we've ever seen Harrison at 100% because of how much weight she cuts. Din noted she won Olympic gold twice at 172 pounds and "has no business weighing 135 pounds," and said a long, back-and-forth fight past about two and a half rounds will be tough for her.
Will Harrison's neck surgery or Nunes' layoff be the bigger X factor? "I feel like the neck surgery is the bigger X factor," Din said, adding that a smooth weight cut could have Nunes "on fire."
Laura called it one of the top three women's fights of the past 15 years. Din will be working the event with Rashad Evans for CBS and Paramount+.
Harrison vs. Nunes questions answered
Who does Din Thomas think will win Harrison vs. Nunes?
Din Thomas didn't make a formal call, but he said he's rooting for his former fighter Amanda Nunes. He thinks Nunes can break Kayla Harrison down and knock her out if she stays off the fence and keeps her distance.
How can Kayla Harrison beat Amanda Nunes?
Din Thomas says Harrison's best path is getting Nunes down against the fence and taking a dominant position, which he called "a death sentence" for opponents like Holly Holm and Julianna Peña. Her left high kick and power can also catch Nunes when she mixes in takedowns.
Is Kayla Harrison's neck surgery a factor at UFC 334?
Din Thomas thinks Harrison's neck surgery is a bigger X factor than Amanda Nunes' layoff, along with a tough cut to 135 pounds for a fighter who won Olympic gold at 172 pounds.
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