UFC 289 Preview: Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana
UFC 289 is live from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The event will be headlined by a UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between current, reigning, defending champion, Amanda Nunes and title challenger Irene Aldana. The event is a co-main event by a fan-favorite title contender fight between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, plus much more. So, let’s take a look at this weekend’s Pay-Per-View card.
Marc-André Barriault vs. Eryk Anders
The main card kicks off with a middleweight bout between two unranked fighters looking to move forward toward a top fifteen ranking. Both men have had a back-and-forth win-loss record in recent fights but they’re both coming off of second-round TKO finishes, with Anders’ coming in December of last year over Kyle Daukaus, while Barriault got his TKO win over Julian Marquez just three months ago in March at UFC 285. It’s safe to say that both men are looking to get a winning streak going, and even possibly a fashionable finish that’ll push them towards bigger fights in the division. So, don’t blink because we may have a knockout right out of the gate on the main card.
Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr
Fireworks are sure to pop off in this bout. Both men are ‘kill or be killed’ fighters, but recently things haven’t been going in favor of number 13 in the world, Dan Ige. He’s coming off of a second-round knockout win in January of this year, but that’s his first victory since 2021. Three losses between his last and current win, but he hopes to pick up another one this weekend and chase the Featherweight gold he once seemingly was close to. Yet, UFC isn’t making it easy on him, as he goes up against Nate Landwehr, who’s currently on a three-fight win streak with two of the wins coming by way of submission. Nate ‘The Train’ is on a collision course to get a UFC ranking and a win this weekend would allow him to steal Dan’s spot to be ranked amongst the top 15. Rankings are on the line in this match and neither man will back down.
Mike Mallot vs. Adam Fugitt
Sometimes there’s nothing more entertaining than seeing two newcomers go to battle. That’s the case with this fight. Mike Mallot is 3-0 under the UFC banner with two submissions and one TKO finish, with the latest coming in February over Yohan Lainesse. All of his wins have also come in round one, so we haven’t been able to see the full array of skills that Mike can bring to the UFC. Meanwhile, his opponent is also a fast finisher, with a 1-1 record in the UFC, his latest win also came in February when he knocked out Yusaku Kinoshita in quick fashion with some elbow strikes. Both these young fighters are just getting their careers started in the company. Now, they have a chance to get more eyes on them than ever before, get some new fans, and make a statement on the Pay-Per-View card.
Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
The co-main event of the evening is a fan-favorite fight that everyone is talking about. Former Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is back in action for the first time since losing his championship to current title holder Islam Makhachev last October. Charles was on a history-making 11-fight win streak before being defeated last year and has some impressive names under his belt. Now, he’s looking to get his way back to the championship with a massive statement-making win. The only issue is, standing in his way is Beneil Dariush, a man on an 8-fight win streak, who hasn’t lost since 2018, and many believe he should have already been challenged for the gold. Now, this is Beneil’s chance to become the number one contender with a win over a former champion. It may possibly be now or never for Dariush as Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are waiting in the wings to get their shot at Makhachev, as well as current Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski looking for a rematch after many believe Alex actually defeated Islam in February after a controversial decision. Beneil is walking in with a chip on his shoulder to prove he is finally worthy of his title shot. But, can Oliveira stop his hype train and get back to the title he once held? The excitement is off the charts for this Saturday’s co-main event.
Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana – UFC Bantamweight Championship
Arguably the greatest female mixed martial artist is back in the main event. Amanda Nunes is highly touted in the world of MMA as one of the G.O.A.Ts. A double champion with a 22-5 record, she’s dominated a who’s who of female stars. Originally, this fight was set to be a trilogy fight between her and Juliana Peña, whom they each hold one win over each other, with Nunes having the most recent win in July of last year. Sadly, Peña pulled out of the fight due to injury and UFC scrambled to find a replacement opponent to keep this main event intact. Irene Aldana then stepped up to the plate. A 14-6 fighter from Mexico who’s on a two-fight win streak, with both coming by way of knockout. At first glance, everyone is counting out Aldana. A fighter on only a two-fight win streak, who was a late replacement and now has to beat one of the best ever? There’s no way.
Or, is there? In recent months, there’s been some magic in the air for Mexican fighters. Namely, Alexa Grasso shocked the world when she submitted Valentina Shevchenko back in March to end her 9-fight win streak and become the new Flyweight champion. Or, Yair Rodriguez finally got to hold the gold after defeating Josh Emmett earlier this year to become interim Featherweight champion for the first time. Or how about Brandon Moreno, who had the first ‘quadrilogy’ in UFC history with Deiveson Figueiredo to stake his claim as the Flyweight champion? There’s been some magic in the air for Mexican fighters in the UFC, and there’s a big possibility that Irene Aldana can catch lighting in a bottle one more time and become the fourth current champion from Mexico. Will history be made? We find out Saturday night.
UFC 289 is live on PPV at 10 PM EST. The prelims will be available on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 pm EST and the early prelims begin on ESPN and ESPN+ at 7 PM EST. You can see a list f prelim fights below.
UFC 289 Prelims:
- Chris Curtis vs. Nassourdine Imavov
- Miranda Maverick vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
- Aiemann Zahabi vs. Qileng Aori
- Kyle Nelson vs. Blake Bilder
UFC 289 Early Prelims:
- David Dvorak vs. Stephen Erceg
- Diana Belbita vs. Maria Oliveira
By: Brady Alexander