With the main event taking a toil, all the focus shifts to the co-main event where the former lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira will be facing BeneilDariush to determine the next No.1 contender at 155. Oliveira hasn’t fought since losing out to Islam Makhachev last October. But the ‘Do Bronx’ is confident ahead of his matchup with Dariush at UFC 289.
WATCH: UFC 289 FIGHT
There’s no shortage of compelling matchups as the UFC returns to Canada. The first of two main events features a battle between Nunes (22-5) and Aldana for (14-6) for bantamweight gold. The champ’s 12 fight winning-streak was snapped when she lost to Julianna Peña in December of 2021 at UFC 269.
Fortunately, she regained the title in a July 2022 rematch, defeating Peña by unanimous decision at UFC 277. Aldana enters the octagon on a two-bout winning streak, last losing to Holly Holm at a UFC on ESPN event in October of 2020.
The ESPN+ pay-per-view will be at 10 p.m. ET and is anchored by Amanda Nunes’ UFC bantamweight title defense against Irene Aldana. Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira faces Beneil Dariush in a pivotal clash in the co-main event.
Now the Brazilian, 35, puts the gold on the line against Aldana, who is bidding to become the fourth Mexican champion in UFC history – with the other three still reigning at the time of writing. Aldana, 35, steps in for the injured Pena, who was due for a trilogy bout against Nunes. The Mexican is chasing a third straight win, having stopped Macy Chiasson and Yana Santos in her last two fights.
Get ready for an explosive showdown at the upcoming UFC 289 event! The Ultimate Fighting Championship is bringing together two of the biggest names in mixed martial arts – Nunes vs. Aldana for an epic battle that will take place on 10 June 2023, at Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada.
UFC returns to Vancouver and the entire nation of Canada for the first time since September 2019. Nunes makes the first defense of her second reign as women’s bantamweight champion after retrieving the title from Julianna Pena. Aldana looks to replicate the success her teammate Alexa Grasso had against Valentina Shevchenko as she looks to dethrone another champion on the Mount Rushmore of women’s MMA.
The early preliminary card of UFC 289 will get underway just after midnight on Sunday morning UK time. The prelims will continue on BT Sport at 1am before the main card starts at 3am. Ring walks for the main event between Nunes and Aldana are expected around 5am whilst Oliveira vs Dariush will get underway just after 4am.
UFC returns to Canada for the first time in the year as the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada is set to host the June PPV, with the event set to go down this Saturday, June 10.
