The long-anticipated return to Canada for the UFC arrives this Saturday, and on Thursday, the main card of UFC 289 was on hand at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. for the traditional pre-fight press conference.
Amanda Nunes tops the event, not against originally scheduled opponent Julianna Pena, but instead Mexican standout Irene Aldana. It’s the rare instance of an injury benefiting a card in the long run — fans were perplexed when the trilogy fight with Pena was announced, without Pena having picked up even a single win since her loss to Nunes last year. While the pair are tied 1-1 in their career series, and Nunes did get an immediate rematch after losing to Pena, that was on the strength of her dominant title reign. Or reigns, given she’s champs in two divisions.
Aldana, meanwhile, was the fighter many saw as the logical next choice to contend for bantamweight gold. Initially booked into a Fight Night headliner with Raquel Pennington, Aldana got the nod when Pena dropped out of the fight due to a rib injury. Pennington, meanwhile, will serve as back-up fighter for the bout.
The co-main event of UFC 289 sees Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush finally face off, after originally being scheduled for last month’s PPV. On the line is a crack at lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, who defeated Oliveira last October to claim gold. Dariush told Cageside Press on Wednesday that the UFC confirmed he’d be the number one contender with a win over Oliveira; presumably, that works both ways should “Do Bronx” come away with the win.
The UFC 289 pre-fight press conference kicks off at 8PM ET on Thursday, June 8, 2023 — a live stream of the affair is available above.
