UFC 289: Nunes vs Aldana – Preview

MMA’s leading promotion makes their return to Canada for the first time in almost four years for UFC 289. The main event sees the return of reigning bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes, the consensus greatest fighter in women’s history. She will put her 135lb title on the line against Irene Aldana, a Mexican contender who aims to take home another world title for her country.

The co-main event will feature a potential lightweight title eliminator between two of the most respected athletes in the division. Former champion Charles Oliveira hopes to rebound into the title picture, but he will have to get through the surging Beneil Dariush, who is riding an eight-fight win-streak.

Let’s take a closer look at this card!

Note: all odds are taken from ESPN and are accurate, as of the time of writing.

***

(c) Amanda Nunes (22-5) vs (#5) Irene Aldana (14-6) – UFC bantamweight championship bout

The greatest combatant in women’s MMA history will return to the fray to take on a gritty Mexican striker at UFC 289.

There’s truly no need to introduce Amanda Nunes. She reigns atop both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions in the UFC, as well as holding the top women’s pound-for-pound spot and being able to claim wins over every other champion her weight classes have ever seen. I could continue on with the slew of accolades attributed to her, but there isn’t enough time in the day. Suffice to say; Nunes is the clear top of the pack. Her punching power exceeds that of anyone else in either of her divisions, but she also has shown a willingness to grapple and submit her opponents when the fight hits the mat. ‘The Lioness’ is a heavy favourite, which is to be expected for a fighter with her accomplishments.

Hoping to spoil the show on the night on short notice is Irene Aldana. The Mexican standout entered the UFC in 2016, but broke out into mainstream attention after her brutal knockout of Ketlen Vieira in 2019. Since then, Aldana has gone 2-1, including back-to-back TKOs of Yana Kunitskaya and Macy Chiasson. The boxing of the Team Lobo product is the main talking point of her style, as she uses her length and reach to catch her opponent’s at the end of her punches. Her left hook, in particular, has shown to be an effective tool of her’s. Aldana is backing herself to join Brandon Moreno, Yair Rodriguez and Alexa Grasso as one of Mexico’s titleholders, but ‘The Mexican Jaguar’ will need to be at her very best to unseat Nunes from the throne.

ODDS: (c) Nunes (-330), Aldana (+260)

(#1) Charles Oliveira (33-9, 1 NC) vs (#4) Beneil Dariush (22-4-1) – lightweight bout

High stakes will be hanging in the balance in a clash between the UFC’s leader in finishes and a streaking contender.

Last year, it seemed like no lightweight on earth was capable of putting an end to the winning run of Charles Oliveira. Reigning champion Islam Makhachev ultimately proved to be the better fighter on the night, but the former titleholder is far from done; he wants to get back to world champion status. When it comes to grapplers, you’d be hard pressed to find a greater submission threat than Oliveira. He holds the all-time record in the promotion, clocking in at a staggering sixteen submission wins and nineteen total finishes. Don’t be fooled by these statistics though. Oliveira is a very capable striker with an aggressive style and has powerful clinch knees that he has developed in recent years. ‘Do Bronx’ enters the bout as a small underdog, but it’s never wise to write off someone with his durability.

Beneil Dariush is one of the best examples of a fighter who couldn’t fulfil their full potential at first, but grew into an elite fighter with time. His first four years in the promotion saw him string together impressive wins, but also accrue devastating losses to the likes of Edson Barboza and Alexander Hernandez. Since his defeat to the latter, however, Dariush has gone undefeated and become a staple of the upper echelon of the 155lb division. Now, it seems as if he is just one more win away from a title shot. His wins against Drakkar Klose and Scott Holtzman showed the power in his fists, but the victories over Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot showed that his wrestling and scrambles make him incredibly tricky to fight. I’m glad to see that the oddsmakers are giving Dariush the respect that he deserves, but make no mistake – he has no easy task ahead of him at UFC 289.

ODDS: Oliveira (+110), Dariush (-130)

(#13) Dan Ige (16-6) vs Nate Landwehr (17-4) – featherweight bout

A spot in the 145lb rankings is up for grabs on the main card, as a Hawaiian powerhouse meets an all-action brawler from Tennessee.

There’s nothing quite like a spectacular knockout to get back to winning ways, which is exactly how Dan Ige snapped a losing streak in his last bout. The Xtreme Couture contender has struggled against the upper tier of 145lb talent in recent years, but there’s no denying that Ige is a talented fighter that poses a threat to everyone that he is matched up with. His last two wins, one-hitter-quitter knockouts of Damon Jackson and Gavin Tucker, displayed the power that Ige possesses, but his NCAA Division III wrestling credentials mean that he could just as easily bring a fight to the mat. The bookies have given a decided edge to ’50k Ige’ in this bout, based on his experience with the world’s best.

The UFC career of Nate Landwehr has been anything but dull. He crossed over into the promotion as the M-1 Global featherweight champion, immediately letting it be known that he was ready to throw down with anyone and everybody. His last three bouts have seen him ride an unbeaten run of bonus-winning performances, consisting of wins against L’udovit Klein, David Onama and Austin Lingo. The never-say-die mentality of Landwehr makes him a pleasure to watch, but he has very real skills that he brings into every fight. Do yourself a favour and tune in to see ‘The Train’ fighting.

ODDS: Ige (-245), Landwehr (+205)

(#12) Nassourdine Imavov (12-4) vs (#14) Chris Curtis (30-10) – heavyweight bout

A battle of top ten middleweight contenders will close off the prelims of UFC 289.

The first UFC main event of Nassourdine Imavov, a short-notice light-heavyweight contest with Sean Strickland, ended in a loss for the Frenchman. Nevertheless, he is determined to fight his way into title contention at 185lbs. Imavov utilises his naturally long frame to pick at opponents from range, where he can employ his attacks and swarm once his opponent is hurt. His grappling ability has also shone through in many of his bouts, best evidenced by a brutal TKO of Edmen Shahbazyan from the crucifix position. ‘The Sniper’ takes the nod on the odds for this bout, but by a relatively slim margin.

After a ‘Fight of the Night’ against Kelvin Gastelum in April, it’s right back to work for Chris Curtis. The Ohio-born contender fought in promotions all across the US until his UFC call-up in 2021, where he has become a fixture of the 185lb division ever since. Curtis’ willingness to stand and strike with all comers, not to mention his knockouts of Phil Hawes and Joaquin Buckley, has earned him a following amongst fans. It’s safe to assume that Curtis will do his best to keep this one standing, as his striking is the key to victory in all bouts of his. Say what you will about him outside of the ring, ‘Action Man’ lives up to his name.

ODDS: Imavov (-145), Curtis (+122)

***

Who will leave with the bantamweight title in the main event? Which fight are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!