Tag: Irene Aldana

Ahead of her Octagon return in June atop a UFC 289 pay-per-view card in British Columbia, Canada, undisputed duel-weight champion, Amanda Nunes has described incoming challenger, Irene Aldana as the legitimate title chaser at 135lbs – rather than former champion and two-time foe, Julianna Peña.

Nunes, the current undisputed bantamweight and featherweight champion, is slated to headline UFC 289 in June in a bantamweight title defense against Mexican challenger, Aldana.

Initially, Nunes was scheduled to face-off with the above-mentioned former division champion, Peña on that card in the promotion’s return to Canada, however, fractured ribs have ruled the latter from contention. 

In turn, Aldana, a native of Guadalajara, now has opportunity to join compatriots, Brandon Moreno, Yair Rodríguez, and Alexa Grasso as champions hailing from the region under the banner of the UFC.

Amanda Nunes heaps praise on the ability of Irene Aldana ahead of UFC 289

And issuing praise to the streaking finishing ahead of UFC 289, Nunes labelled Aldana as a real challenger to her throne, considering her one-sided rematch win over Peña back in July of last year at UFC 277.

“Honestly, this is the original opponent right there,” Amanda Nunes said of Irene Aldana at their UFC 289 pre-fight press conference. “…Now we are here with the real opponent. I’m very happy about it. Less heavy, as well, and I’m excited. After what I did with Julianna Peña in our last fight, there’s no question. So now [Aldana is] here, I’m every happy for her, and now we’re going to see each other soon.”

“Aldana is very, very tough,” Amanda Nunes explained. “She has heavy hands. So, she’s technical, and this is going to be so fun. I have heavy hands, as well. I’m well rounded, so you guys have to be excited for this.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)

In the midst of a two-fight winning run, Aldana most recently finished both former featherweight title challenger, Yana Santos, as well as The Ultimate Fighter victor, Macy Chiasson with strikes – earning her short-notice title fight with Nunes this summer. 

Seeing a switch in opponent ahead of UFC 289 – undisputed two-weight champion, Amanda Nunes remains on course to headliner the pay-per-view event, and opens once more as a distinguished betting favorite ahead of a bantamweight title fight against Irene Aldana.

Nunes, the current undisputed bantamweight and featherweight under the banner of the UFC, is scheduled to headline UFC 289 on June 10. – taking on Mexican striker, Aldana at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – in the promotion’s pay-per-view return to ‘The Great White North’. 

Initially, Bahia bruiser, Nunes was scheduled to headline the flagship showcase against former champion, Julianna Peña, however, the Washington native suffered fractured ribs ahead of the trilogy rubber match, forcing the former bantamweight champion to withdraw from the title outing. 

And as for fan-favorite contender, Aldana, the Mexican puncher has since been pulled from a scheduled rematch with common-foe, Raquel Pennington later this month at the UFC Apex facility – in place of her premier title outing under the banner of the Dana White-led organization.

Opening as a sizeable betting favorite to land a victory over Aldana in June in the main event of UFC 289, Nunes is already available as high as a -550 betting favorite to defeat the former this summer – while the challenger opens as a massive +390 underdog ahead of the showcase.

Betting for the title matchup is already available within in numerous markets ahead of UFC 289, including best online casinos Canada – as Brazilian powerhouse opens as a comfortable betting favorite to remain queen of the bantamweights amid the beginning of her second title reign at in the division. 

Initially clinching undisputed bantamweight gold with a dominant first round win over former champion, Miesha Tate in a makeshift UFC 200 main event in July 2016, Nunes latched onto a first round rear-naked choke submission win – enjoying a stunning eight-fight winning run before her submission loss to the above-mentioned, Peña. 

Racking up victory after victory against elite competition at both the bantamweight and featherweight limit, Bahia native, Nunes has defeated Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, Germaine de Randamie, Felicia Spencer, and Megan Anderson in championship fights during her tenure under the UFC banner.

Long-linked with an eventual championship tangle at the bantamweight since her UFC landing, Aldana, a former Invicta FC feature akin to Nunes, has landed notable victories over the likes of Bethe Correia, Vanessa Melo, and in spectacular fashion – stopped Kelten Vieira with a thunderous first round KO en route to a main event fight with common-foe, Holm. 

Both opening and closing as considerable betting favorites during the latter time of her UFC tenure, Nunes had closed as quite surprising underdogs for fights against the above-mentioned, Tate, Rousey, Shevchenko, and Cyborg – managing to land victories in each of those fights nevertheless. 

And despite her submission defeat to Peña back in 2021, the Brazilian had closed as a resounding -245 to reclaim the title last July, and had opened as a monstrous -700 to defeat the Washington native in a scheduled June trilogy rubber match this year prior to the clash’s cancellation.