Amanda Nunes will attempt to successfully defend her bantamweight title against knockout artist Irene Aldana tonight.
Nunes enters the fray after a dominant performance over Julianna Pena. The win over Pena saw Nunes regain her bantamweight title after losing to Venezuelan Vixen at UFC 269 in 2021.
As for Aldana, the Mexican defeated Macy Chiasson in her final fight to secure a title shot with one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Charles Oliveira also returns for the first time at UFC 289 since losing the lightweight title to Islam Makhachev last year. The Brazilian will take on up-and-coming contender Beneil Dariush.
But what time is UFC 289? And who else is fighting on the map? Mail Sport provides all the answers below.
Amanda Nunes defeated Julianna Pena by unanimous decision in her last fight in 2022
Irene Aldana took a third-round knockout victory in her final fight against Macy Chiasson
UFC 289 – All the important details
UFC 289 takes place tonight with early prelims starting at 11pm in the UK.
For those watching in America, the early prelims begin on Saturday at 3pm PT, 5pm CT and 6pm ET.
The prelims are then scheduled to start at 1am on Sunday, while it’s scheduled to start at 5:30pm PT, 7:30pm CT, 8:30pm ET on Saturday in America.
UK fans can watch the main card at 3am. In the US, the last five fights will begin at 7pm PT, 9pm CT and 10pm ET on Saturday.
The main event between Nunes and Aldana doesn’t get underway until around 5:30am on Sunday morning in the UK.
How to watch
UFC 289 will be shown live on BT Sport 1 in the UK and also live on the broadcaster’s app.
Coverage for this weekend’s PPV showdown begins at 1am on Sunday.
Tonight’s clash with Aldana will be Nunes’ first defense of her bantamweight title after regaining the title against Pena
Nunes vs Aldana – The most important stats
Amanda Nunes
Age: 35
Height: 5ft 6in
Reach: 68”
Attitude: Orthodox
Balance: 22-5
Irene Aldan
Age: 35
Height: 5ft 7in
Reach: 68.5”
Attitude: Orthodox
Balance: 14-6
Battle map complete
Main card
- Amanda Nunes vs Irene Aldana – for UFC bantamweight title
- Charles Oliveira v Beneil Dariush
- Mike Malott to Adam Fugitt
- Dan Ige vs Nate Landwehr
- Marc Andre Barriault vs Eryk Anders
Preliminary map
- Nassourdine Imavov vs Chris Curtis
- Miranda Maverick to Jasmine Jasudavicius
- Aiemann Zahabi vs Aori Qileng
- Kyle Nelson vs Blake Bilder
Early provisional map
- David Dvorak vs Stephen Erceg
- Diana Belbita to Maria Oliveira
What was said?
Heading into tonight’s main event, Nunes revealed that she’s as hungry as ever before battling Aldana.
“When you get to this level, you don’t see easy opponents,” Nunes said Yahoo Sports.
“Maybe there are some whose style is a bit more difficult for you than someone else, but when you’re at championship level you only see very talented and motivated opponents. Irene has a lot of talent and I know she is motivated to win this title. There are many fighters from her country [of Mexico] who have done it [and won UFC titles] and I know she wants to join them.
“But I’m not going to give up this belt. I worked so hard for it and I sacrificed a lot of things to get this. i am like [prepared] and hungrier than I’ve ever been.’
Amanda Nunes reveals she is determined to retain her bantamweight title against Aldana
Irene Aldana believes Amanda Nunes is the greatest of all time heading into UFC 289
As for Aldana, the Mexican revealed that it will be an honor to share the octagon with Nunes.
“For me she’s the best of all time,” Aldana said ahead of the fight.
‘To me she is. And that makes it even more awesome for me to get this opportunity against her, to be one of the greatest. I respect her, it’s an honor for me. And yes, but as much as I respect her, for me in this fight, I come with the mindset of winning. And it’s not kill or die in that fight for me, it’s kill or kill and that’s it. But it doesn’t diminish the honor I have and the respect I have for her.’
Chances
Amanda Nunes wins – 1/3
Irene Aldana wins – 9/4
Draw – 50/1
All odds through Paddy Power and correct at the time of publication.
Amanda Nunes will fight Aldana in her 12th UFC title fight tonight
Prediction
While Nunes dominated the rematch with Julianna Pena, the Brazilian also showed signs that her best days may be behind her.
In her last few fights, Nunes seems to have lost that great mentality. This weekend she faces a tough test. However, if Nunes dictates procedure from the start and Aldana stays close behind, she should head to another win.
As for Aldana, she’s a huge underdog going into the main event. Four of her last five wins have come via finish. In her last fight, the Mexican showed that she absolutely deserves the bantamweight title.
Aldana is a go-getter. If she can turn it into a messy fight, the Mexican certainly has the ability to shock the world. The revenge between Nunes and Pena showed that the Brazilian is vulnerable.
Prediction – Amanda Nunes via decision