Former undisputed UFC bantamweight champion, Julianna Peña has been forced from her championship trilogy rubber match with two-weight champion, Amanda Nunes, at UFC 289 in June, after suffering fractured ribs.
According to UFC president, Dana White, Peña, a former undisputed bantamweight titleholder, has withdrawn from her British Colombia, Canada fight with Amanda Nunes in June – with the Brazilian now fighting Irene Aldana on the same UFC 289 card.
Rematching Bahia veteran, Amanda Nunes back in July of last year in the main event of UFC 277, Peña dropped her bantamweight title in a one-sided unanimous decision loss to the former, as she minted herself as a two-weight champion once again.
As for Aldana, the Lobo Gym mainstay has been pulled from a slated return against former title challenger, Raquel Pennington later this month at the UFC Apex facility, with a title fight against Nunes scrapping that rematch.
Amanda Nunes now fights Irene Aldana at UFC 289
Slated to now feature in her first title challenge under the banner of the UFC, Mexican contender, Aldana looks to join compatriots, Brandon Moreno, Yair Rodriguez, and Alexa Grasso as gold holders hailing from the country.
First capturing Octagon gold in a stunning upset victory against Nunes back in December 2021, the above-mentioned, Ultimate Fighter winner, Peña had submitted the Brazilian with a stunning upset win back to win undisputed bantamweight spoils.
Challenging current featherweight champion, Nunes to boot at UFC 289 in June, Aldana rides an impressive two-fight winning streak into her summer title siege, handing stoppage defeats to both former title challenger, Yana Santos, and Macy Chiasson.
UFC 289 takes place on June 10. from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada – with Nunes’ title defense against Aldana headlining above a lightweight title-eliminator between former undisputed champion, Charles Oliveira, and Beneil Dariush.