Amanda Nunes will have a different opponent when she enters the Octagon to defend her bantamweight title in the UFC 289 main event.
On Tuesday night, UFC President Dana White broke the news on Instagram that there would be a major switch in the planned main event of UFC 289 on June 10. Reigning women’s bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes will no longer be facing rival Julianna Pena in a trilogy fight. Instead, she will battle 11-fight UFC veteran Irene Aldana inside the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada.
“Unfortunately, [Julianna Peña] broke her ribs and she can not compete. We have Irene Aldana coming in, who has won four of her last five, and three of those were finishes. We could have another Mexican world champion.”
– Dana White
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UFC 289 date: June 10
Aldana is 5-2 since 2019 with her losses coming to former division champion Holly Holm and one-time title contender Raquel Pennington. She is currently on a two-fight win streak with both being knockout wins over Yana Santos and most recently Macy Chiasson. The Mexican star was set to face Pennington in a featured bout and rematch at a UFC Fight Night card on May 20.
Aldana will still offer a notable challenge for the women’s MMA GOAT, however, losing Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena III certainly does take some sizzle out of the UFC 289 headliner and card. The duo has split their previous bouts, with Pena scoring a shocking second-round submission win at UFC 269 in 2021, then the Brazilian getting revenge and her 135-pound belt back by unanimous decision at UFC 277 last summer.
UFC 289 features several other interesting bouts, including a major matchup at lightweight between former champion Charles Oliveira and top contender Beneil Dariush, as well as the return of Octagon stars Stephen Thompson, Miranda Maverick, and Matt Schnell.
