Joselyne Edwards to Weigh In as Backup for Harrison vs. Nunes at UFC 334

Joselyne Edwards will weigh in as the backup fighter for the women's bantamweight title fight between champion Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes at UFC 334.

The news was initially reported by MMA Fighting and confirmed by MMA Junkie. Sherdog attributed the report to Guilherme Cruz, who wrote that "Joselyne Edwards will be the backup fighter for Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes at UFC 334, sources told myself and @DamonMartin".

UFC 334 takes place on Saturday, November 14, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Harrison vs. Nunes is the co-main event, sitting underneath the heavyweight title fight between champion Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit.

Edwards, the UFC-ranked No. 2 women's bantamweight contender, has earned the standby role on the back of a five-fight winning streak, four of them by stoppage. The stoppage wins came over Tamires Vidal, Chelsea Chandler, Priscila Cachoeira and Nora Cornolle. Her most recent outing, in April at UFC Fight Night 274, was a unanimous decision win over Norma Dumont.

That run is a sharp turnaround from the start of her UFC career, in which Edwards went 4-4 across her first eight appearances. She now stands at 18-6 overall and 9-4 inside the Octagon.

The backup role means Edwards weighs in as the potential replacement should Harrison or Nunes be unable to compete. It is insurance for a fight that has already fallen through once: Harrison and Nunes were originally scheduled to meet at UFC 324 in January, but the bout was scrapped when Harrison had to undergo neck surgery. Nunes, who retired in 2023, is coming back to face her former American Top Team teammate.

Harrison enters her title defence at 19-1 overall and 3-0 in the UFC. Nunes, the former two-division champion and UFC Hall of Famer, is 23-5 overall and 16-2 in the UFC.

As an added measure of where the fight stands, the betting market has Harrison as the favourite: BetOnline, via Sherdog, lists Harrison at -190 and Nunes as a +161 underdog. Those are odds, not a result, and lines move. It is also worth noting how rarely Nunes has been in that spot: Sherdog notes she last entered a completed UFC bout as an underdog against Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 in 2018, and won by knockout in 51 seconds.

Edwards may not be needed on the night. But if either woman cannot compete, the Panamanian contender will already be weighed in, in New York, and one win away from a championship she has spent five fights chasing.