UFC: Amanda Nunes takes on Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in Vancouver

After Julianna Pena withdrew from the UFC 289 main event due to broken ribs, Amanda Nunes will defend her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana. Nunes and Aldana will headline UFC 289 in Vancouver on June 10. This is Alldana’s first title fight, and Nunes’ 11th title fight in her illustrious UFC career. The UFC’s pound for pound number one female fighter will look to continue her dominance almost a year removed from her last fight against Pena, when she reclaimed her bantamweight title in a rematch.

Nunes vs Aldana fight preview

Amanda Nunes is the betting favourite ahead of this fight on UFC betting sites. Nunes has -357 odds to win the fight on BetMGM. Aldana is the underdog. She has +275 odds to win. Nunes and Aldana have almost the same height, reach, and age. According to UFC.com, Aldana is an inch taller at 5’9, but has one inch less reach than her opponent.

On paper, the biggest difference between the fighters is their resumes. Aldana has wins over current number eight ranked Macy Chiasson, number four ranked Yana Santos, and Ketlen Vieira. However, Nunes is considered one of, if not the, best female fighters in UFC history. Prior to the Pena upset at UFC 277, Nunes had not lost a fight in the UFC since her fifth fight in 2014. Since then, Nunes has defeated some of the greatest fighters in the UFC, from Valentina Shevchenko to Ronda Rousey.

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Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes

Nunes is coming off a unanimous decision victory against Julianna Pena. The two were scheduled for a third fight before Pena withdrew. Now the pound for pound number one ranked woman in the UFC will set her sights on Aldana. Nunes is a two-division champion, she holds the UFC’s bantamweight and featherweight belts. Three of her last five fights have ended in a decision, the other two were by submission. Her last KO/TKO victory was in 2019.

Nunes is much more experienced and accomplished than her opponent. Aldana’s first fight in the UFC was in December of 2016. Nunes won her first title in the UFC in July of 2016. Despite this, they are almost the same age. Nunes is rightfully the betting favourite. Nunes has a 22-5 professional MMA record. A loss to Aldana would be a huge upset.

Irene “Robles” Aldana

Irene Aldana is the underdog in this fight. Aldana is the fifth ranked woman in the bantamweight division. Although Nunes has only one loss in the UFC since 2014, she lost that fight by submission. That loss could give Aldana some hope and confidence because Aldana does have a submission victory over Bethe Correia on her resume. That was the only time Correia has been submitted in her UFC career. 

Aldana has never been stopped in her UFC career. All of her losses have come by decision. This will be Aldana’s first title shot, but she has plenty of octagon experience with elite competition. Aldana fought three of the four women currently at the top of the women’s bantamweight rankings. She has a 1-2 record against the current top four ranked bantamweights, losing to Raquel Pennington and Holly Holm but defeating Viera. 

UFC 289 Card

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Who should Triple C take on next? 🤔

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