UFC 289 Fight Card: Will We See a New Bantamweight Queen?

It is finally time for this month's UFC pay-per-view event. After weeks of modest Fight Nights, we are back with a title match between Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana. But there's more – the entire UFC 289 Fight Card is absolutely stacked.

UFC 289 Fight Card: Everything You Need to Know

It feels so good to finally see a card that is stacked from top to bottom. Not that we do not appreciate the upcoming fighters and rising stars but who would not prefer to see the best of the best?

We all know about the important fights from the UFC 289 fight card but let us just mention a few of the names that will make a return to the octagon – Chris Curtis, Dan Ige, Nate Landwehr, Marc-Andre Barriault, etc. Quite impressive, don't you think?

UFC 289: Co-Main and Main Events

• Women's Bantamweight Title: Amanda Nunes (22-5-0) vs Irene Aldana (14-6-0)
• Lightweight: Charles Oliveira (33-9-0) vs Beneil Dariush (22-4-1)

Yes, Amanda Nunes will face Irene Aldana in the main event of UFC 289 but in all honesty, most MMA fans will watch this event for Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. Amanda has simply lost her spark, which made her a fan favorite back in the day. She also fights once a year, literally, and her return is not as thrilling.

At the age of 35, Amanda can no longer fight at the same pace. Since December 11, 2021, she has performed only twice. Both times the opponent was Julianna Peña. The Brazilian wins, but does not convince. Previously, she mostly knocked out and literally destroyed her rivals.

Nowadays, the Lioness acts more modestly in the octagon. And the defeat from Peña once again showed everyone else that Nunes is vulnerable.

Fortunately, she is lucky to face an athlete that is also old and tired. Irene Aldana would have had a chance a few years ago but right now, it feels impossible. She has the skills but she has huge problems with weight loss and missed weight for three of her last five fights. If her cardio is bad, she will not handle Amanda.

But let's take a closer look at the most important match from the UFC 289 fight card – the bout we fans actually want to see.

Charles Oliveira has to win here in order to receive a new title match against Islam Machachev. Oliveira is a fan favorite but perhaps he is not as fit as he claims to be, and Dariush is a huge contender.

It is fair to say that Dariush is not the brightest fighter, but he does his job masterfully. Beneil has a decent stance, he knows how to keep an opponent at a distance and interrupt him … The fight with Gamrot showed that the Iranian is also good at defending against takedowns.

Beneil is a smart athlete who will not take risks and open up like, for example, someone from the Poirier-Gaethje-Chandler trinity. And it will be extremely difficult to transfer such an opponent to the ground. But Oliveira will be more motivated than ever here and in his recent interview, he said that we will see a different Charles here.

UFC 289: Main Card

• Women's Bantamweight Title: Amanda Nunes (22-5-0) vs Irene Aldana (14-6-0)
• Lightweight: Charles Oliveira (33-9-0) vs Beneil Dariush (22-4-1)
• Welterweight: Mike Malott (9-1-1) vs Adam Fugitt (9-3-0)
• Featherweight: Dan Ige (16-6-0) vs Nate Landwehr (17-4-0)
• Middleweight: Marc-Andre Barriault (15-6-0) vs Eryk Anders (15-7-0)

UFC 289 Fight Card: Prelims & Early Prelims

• Middleweight: Nassourdine Imavov (12-4-0) vs Chris Curtis (30-10-0)
• Women's Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (13-4-0) vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (8-2-0)
• Bantamweight: Aiemann Zahabi (9-2-0) vs Aoriqileng (24-9-0)
• Featherweight Bout: Kyle Nelson (13-5-1) vs Blake Bilder (8-0-1)

Early Prelims:

• Flyweight Bout: David Dvorak (20-5-0) vs Stephen Erceg (9-1-0)
• Women's Strawweight: Diana Belbita (14-7-0) vs Maria Oliveira (13-6-0)

UFC 289 Fight Card This Weekend: Matchups to Watch Out For

This event will be shorter than usual and we are not exactly sure what happened. Nevertheless, it is worth watching as there are some impressive bouts on that schedule.

In the early prelims, we only get two fights but both involve a debutant. Maria Oliveira will try to take her career to the next level against Diana Belbita – one of the biggest talents in the Women's Strawweight division.

In the other prelim, we will see Stephen Erceg, who was supposed to debut last month but his match was postponed due to Visa problems. He has a good chance of beating veteran David Dvorak, so keep that in mind.

There are a couple of bouts in the UFC 289 fight card that we are absolutely stoked for. They are both also good for betting if you are into that. Nassourdine Imavov will face Chris Curtis, who is basically coming out to make money nowadays. He loses against top opposition and this is a chance for Imavov to make the next big step in his young career.

Miranda Maverick, only 25 years old, is making a return to the octagon in the UFC fight card tonight and we absolutely love her. She has become a worldwide fan favorite and a NYFights favorite too.

Last but not least, watch out for the fight between Dan Ige and Nate Landwehr in the main card as this one will be a dog fight.

With this said, who is ready for a massive event this weekend?