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June 8, 2023One of if not the greatest fighter to enter the Octagon, Amanda Nunes is back in action headlining UFC 289: Nunes vs. Aldana. The first fighter in UFC history to become double champ twice, Nunes puts her bantamweight belt on the line in the main event against Irena Aldana on Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia. Nunes is a big favorite at -318 on the UFC betting line and enters the ring 11 months after beating Julianna Pena to reclaim the belt she lost in the first of the two-fight set. The plan was to have Nunes and Pena scrap in the trilogy fight, but Pena suffered an injury last month and was instead replaced by Aldana.
Bet on UFC online at BetRivers sportsbook with odds for every fight on the ticket. Saturday’s early prelims start at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+. The four-fight prelims are scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+ with the main card getting underway at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN pay-per-view.
UFC 289: Nunes vs. Aldana Main Card Odds
Irene Aldana +252 vs. Amanda Nunes -318
Beneil Dariush -152 vs. Charles Oliveira +127
Adam Fugitt +170 vs. Mike Malott -206
Nate Landwehr +221 vs. Dan Ige -274
Eryk Anders -107 vs. Marc-Andre Barriault -117
Losing to Pena in the first of their two-bout set just pissed Nunes ( 22-5, 13 KO, 4 SUB ) off. The Lioness just isn’t used to losing going seven years and 12 fights between setbacks. Her last defeat before Pena put her in a rear naked choke was to Cat Zingano by TKO back on Sept. 27, 2014. I guess it proves that even the best at what they do can have a bad day every now and then. But Nunes more than made up for her defeat in a dominant performance in the rematch, winning by unanimous decision.
Nunes has all the tools making her a special fighter. She’s vicious on the attack, can grapple with the best and has the stamina to go the distance. To be the best you have to beat the best and Nunes has done that throughout her career. Her win over Pena continued a remarkable stat of Nunes beating every fighter that previously held the bantamweight title. She doesn’t fight as often as she did just a few years ago, but with age comes wisdom as they say.
The UFC odds don’t reflect it, but Aldana ( 14-6, 8KO, 3 SUB ) could be a tougher opponent for Nunes than Pena. Set to square off with Raquel Pennington in a title eliminator bout in May, Aldana got the call when Pena came up lame in a practice session. Aldana bounced back from a unanimous decision loss to Holly Holm in October 2020 by ending her last two fights before going to the judges. Two years ago Aldana stopped Yana Kunitskaya in the first round with a flurry of punches. Last September Aldana put Macy Chiasson to sleep with an upkick to the body.
Aldana’s losses have been to some of the better fighters in the UFC and they all went the distance. The first was to Leslie Smith in 2016 followed by Katlyn Chookagain. Following a three-fight win streak, Pennington earned a split decision victory. Most recently it was Holm getting the unanimous verdict. Aldana also has the respect of Nunes, who said her opponent is “more technical” than Pena and has “knockout power.”
All UFC betting sites have Nunes as the favorite in the +300 and higher range. She is the best but she’s also beatable as Pena showed. I’m not sold backing Nunes on the moneyline is going to inflate the pocketbook. The odds are steep and Aldana is a more than competent fighter. Picking a method of victory increases the payout and since both fighters would prefer not letting the judges decide I can see this one ending early. Aldana hasn’t gone five rounds often making me think stamina could be an issue. The longer the fight goes just increase the odds of Aldana losing.
UFC Prediction: Amanda Nunes -318 / (T)KO
Check out the latest UFC betting odds at BetRivers.
