The UFC returns for a major pay-per-view card once more as UFC 289 gets a highly anticipated women's bantamweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Irene Aldana.
Nunes recently claimed her title back after a shocking loss to Julianna Pena, when she got her revenge in the rematch. This fight was supposed to be the trilogy bout but Pena broke her rib in training and in stepped the number five ranked Aldana to take this opportunity.
We'll break down the 135-pound title fight and provide you with our best free betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash for the summer.
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UFC 289 information
- Saturday, June 10th 2023
- Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada
- Main card starts at 10pm ET
- Women's bantamweight bout (135-pounds)
Amanda Nunes vs Irene Aldana
Largely considered as the greatest women's MMA fighter of all time, Nunes comes into this fight having won 12 of her last 13 fights and has a professional record of 22-5, with 13 wins coming by knockout.
"The Lioness" won the title all the way back in 2016 when she submitted Miesha Tate, before crushing Ronda Rousey with a knockout in just 48 seconds. That was followed by a split decision win over Valentina Shevchenko.
She then knocked out Raquel Pennington, before beating Cris Cyborg to become the first ever female duel-weight champion in UFC history. Holly Holm, Germaine De Randamie, Felicia Spencer and Megan Anderson were the next victims in her run.
That was before Julianna Pena shocked the world and submitted her in the second round, but Nunes bounced back immediately in the rematch to reclaim her crown and set up this fight.
Aldana has won four of her last five bouts to earn this title shot and comes into the bout in impressive form.
A decision win over Vanessa Melo was followed up by a knockout win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 245. She then suffered defeat defeat to Holly Holm, but has since been able to defeat both Yana Kunitskaya and Macy Chiasson via knockout in her most recent bouts.
She has a professional record of 14-6, with eight of those wins coming via knockout.
Route to victory
Both of these fighters are primary strikers and will feel at their most comfortable if the fight is on the feet, which will spark big problems for the challenger.
Nunes is one of the greatest strikers in women's MMA history with unreal one-punch power to go with combination punching, hard low kicks and a strong clinch game too.
She's also got a nasty high kick, just ask Holly Holm, but is a more than capable wrestler to control fights on the ground. If it gets a bit tricky, she's a jiu-jitsu black belt that can rip your arm off if she gets the opportunity.
For Aldana, things aren't quite as well-rounded. She is a powerful striker with a strong clinch and solid boxing skills, while her grappling game is good enough to keep her safe against lower level opposition.
When it comes to wrestling defensively she isn't the strongest, which means she needs to rely on volume and her cardio in order to push Nunes into the latter rounds and hope that her speed can get her the win that she needs.
Nunes will no doubt try to mix in wrestling and grappling to make Aldana question the strategy and be more open to dealing with strikes, knowing that if she lands flush on the feet then the night could end very quickly.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
UFC Picks: And Still...
When you look to compare the two fighters in all aspects of mixed martial arts, there is only one winner in every measurable component and that's the champion.
Nunes is the more powerful striker, the better boxer, better kicker, better wrestler, better grappler and the more experienced fighter. Aldana has only ever been scheduled to go five rounds twice in her career, and on both occasions she suffered stoppage defeats before they hit the 25 minute time limit.
Going up against the most dangerous female fighter of all time in that environment, in a fight that she took on short notice and hasn't really earned is a bad idea.
Obviously she has to take the fight because she may never get another title opportunity, but realistically she isn't championship level.
Nunes is likely to want to make a statement to prove that, and to make sure there are no doubts about her status as champion after the loss to Pena.
Expect her to come out fast and use her wrestling early to get Aldana thinking, before landing some strong strikes to rock her and claim a finish and ensure that she remains a double champion, while Aldana goes back to trying to build her way up the rankings.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
