UFC 289 Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Nunes vs. Aldana
The UFC will head north as Vancouver, Canada plays host to a UFC 289 card featuring Amanda Nunes defending her title against Irene Aldana in the main event.
The Lioness is once again at the top of the women's bantamweight division after reclaiming her title against Julianna Peña in July 2022. She had lost to Peña by submission in December 2021.
Now she returns to the cage to take on a new challenger in Aldana. The 35-year-old is a bit of a latecomer to the title picture but is coming off back-to-back knockout wins and stepped up when Peña was forced to withdraw from a trilogy fight with a rib injury.
Whether she can take advantage of the opportunity and end up with gold around her waist is one of the top storylines heading into Saturday night's card.
Here's a look at the complete card with odds and predictions for the featured bouts of the evening.
Fight Card, Schedule and Odds
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Main Card (ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET)
- Amanda Nunes (-320) vs. Irene Aldana (+265)
- Charles Oliveira (+125) vs. Beneil Dariush (-145)
- Mike Malott (-205) vs. Adam Fugitt (+175)
- Dan Ige (-260) vs. Nate Landwehr (+220)
- Eryk Anders (+115) vs. Marc-André Barriault (-135)
Prelims (ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET)
- Nassourdine Imavov (-155) vs. Chris Curtis (+135)
- Jasmine Jasudavicius (+240) vs. Miranda Maverick (-285)
- Aiemann Zahabi (+100) vs. Aoriqileng (-120)
- Blake Bilder (-245) vs. Kyle Nelson (+205)
Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. ET)
- David Dvořák (-265) vs. Steve Erceg (+225)
- Diana Belbiţă (-120) vs. Maria Oliveira (+100)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Nunes Outclasses Aldana in Possible Retirement Fight
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Amanda Nunes has been at this a long time and spent a considerable amount of time at the top of the sport. The two-division champion made her MMA debut in 2008 and has been in the UFC since 2013.
The Lioness has wins over every big name in women's MMA. From Cris Cyborg to Ronda Rousey to Miesha Tate to Valentina Shevchenko, it's impossible for her to have a more impressive resume.
So when Nunes acknowledged that she considered retirement after losing to Peña, she's probably telling the truth. The Brazilian said she returned because she couldn't stand the thought of letting the Venezuelan Vixen keep the belt.
This fight was supposed to be a trilogy with her bitter rival. Instead, she gets Aldana as a replacement fight.
Will she wait around to fight Peña again? Maybe. But her win in the rematch was pretty convincing and its hard to keep the competitive fire lit once it starts to dim.
This could be the final fight for Nunes. While that could mean that she's ripe for the upset, there's also a good chance that it simply means she's geared up to put on one more show.
This one should feature plenty of exchanges and Nunes has thrived in kickboxing matches before.
Prediction: Nunes via second-round TKO
Dariush Earns Title Shot with Win over Oliveira
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Beneil Dariush is the overlooked man in the lightweight division. His unassuming personality, combined with a sporadic fight schedule and lack of flashy skills oftentimes leaves him out of the conversation in a loaded lightweight division.
Yet, he continues to find ways to win and build one of the longest winning streaks in the division right now.
The 34-year-old is on an eight-fight win streak going into his co-main event bout against Charles Oliveira. The level of competition can be criticized. The best wins of the group are over Mateusz Gamrot and a past-his-prime Tony Ferguson.
He gets the chance to answer that criticism here, though. Oliveira is coming off a one-sdied loss to Islam Makhachev but should still be considered one of the best lightweights in the world.
The question is whether Dariush can rise to the occasion. If his grappling looks as good as it did against Ferguson, the answer is yes.
This won't be a blowout by any means. On paper, it's a really close fight and Oliveira should hold the advantage on the feet, but Dariush is close to a title shot while Oliveira is coming down from title reign.
Prediction: Dariush via decision
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Malott Makes Huge Impression in Front of Canadian Crowd
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Mike Malott will not only get his first opportunity to introduce himself to a pay-per-view audience, but he'll get to do it in front of his home country. He'll be the last Canadian to fight on the main card in Vancouver, making him a de facto native headliner.
It's a huge opportunity for a guy who is only in his third UFC fight.
But that's what happens when you are an up-and-comer with a proven penchant for finishing fights. The 31-year-old has two finishes in two UFC fights and still has yet to participate in a fight that goes the distance.
Malott's finish or be finished gameplan has played out well thus far. He's snagged submissions in scrambles and converted stunning punches into knockout finishes despite a small sample size to judge.
He's being fed a good matchup with Adam Fugitt on deck. Fugitt is an aggressive striker but not necesarily in a way that is going to threaten Malott. Instead, the Canadian—who has been a cornerman before—should be poised enough to turn that aggression against him in the form of powerful counters.
Prediction: Malott via first-round TKO
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