UFC 289: Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks

Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana headline the UFC 289, one of the most interesting this year. Even though many say this event isn’t loaded with high-caliber names, in our opinion, it has several fights that could turn out to be blasts and enter the competition for the battle of the year. Among them is the clash for the ladies’ UFC bantamweight title between the champion, Nunes, and the challenger, Aldana. These two ladies are vicious strikes who might give us what we look for in MMA – relentless and spectacular toe-to-toe battle. 

Preview

Amanda Nunes (22-5, -350) regained its bantamweight title against Julianna Pena following a very surprising loss to the Venezuelan fighter at the UFC 269. A rear-naked choke solved that event, but Nunes bounced back in the next meeting, completely dominating the bout and winning via unanimous decision. 

Nunes is the double champion, holding the belt in the featherweight division as well. Until her loss at the UFC 269, she had 12 wins in a row, becoming the undisputed pound-for-pound kin among the ladies. Many big-time names were her victims, like Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, and Valentina Shevchenko twice (though the latter battle was a robbery in Nunes’ favor).

Nunes is extremely powerful, and there aren’t many ladies with her physique in any MMA organizations. Her striking is extremely hard, and the Lioness has a pretty versatile skill set when talking about combinations. 

Irene Aldana (14-6, +285) comes from Mexico and is one of the rising stars in the ladies’ part of the organization. After a mixed start to her MMA career, Aldana showed significant improvement in the past few years, winning four of her last five bouts. The sole loss this girl had was against Holly Holm, who posted a decision triumph back then. 

But after that defeat, Aldana posted back-to-back knockout victories, beating Yana Kunitskaya and Macy Chiasson, winning the Performance of the Night Bonus at that UFC 279. She was impressive against Chiasson, earning her a rematch against the former title challenger, Raquel Pennington. However, following Pena’s injury, she filled in the empty spot and received a chance to battle for the title. 

Aldana is a dominant kick-boxer, whose hits are very precise and sharp. She isn’t that well-rounded on the mat, which might be a problem if Nunes gains an advantage over her on the ground. Though, we’ve seen in the past that the Lioness has certain trouble with hard strikers, especially with those who know to duck her shots.

Prediction

The Lioness will have a lot to prove here because everyone doubts her abilities after losing to Pena. Despite the champion’s return in the rematch, many questions remain lingering around one of the most dominant female fighters in the world. Aldana will seek an opportunity for that one brutal hit, which she can deliver, we’ve seen it in the past. But even so, our pick is Nunes to win and end the bout before the final horn. She is way too dominant for this division and, on top of everything, has a motive for a spectacular finish. 

Pick: Nunes wins -350