Arguably the greatest female mixed martial arts fighter in Amanda Nunes faces one of her toughest tests to date as Irene Aldana attempts to become just the third woman to defeat Nunes inside the Octagon.
Also, Charles Oliveira looks to embark on his road to recovery following his loss to Islam Makhachev last year. Standing in his way is the eternal 155 contender Beneil Dariush, who currently boasts an 8-fight win streak and has late ambitions of his own at a lightweight title bout.
We will also preview the featherweight bout between Dan Ige and Nate Landwehr and the welterweight clash between Mike Malott and Adam Fugitt as UFC 289 heads to Vancouver.
Can Aldana learn from Julianna Pena?
Seven years undefeated and a century of dominance was on the cards for Nunes until Julianna Pena stumped all the bookmakers with a dominant display against the champion at UFC 269 in 2021.
Like all ambitious underdogs, Pena said she would take the fight to Nunes and did so by forcing the bout into a slugfest and eventually ending it with a swift rear naked choke. Pena produced a performance that Nunes was simply not expecting, nor was she prepared for.
Embed from Getty ImagesNunes did reclaim her belt during their rematch last summer in routine fashion but what Pena produced was a blueprint of how to stop Nunes- or at least have a chance to.
Aldana looks to join her Mexican contingents in relishing UFC gold as Brandon Moreno, Alexa Grasso and Yair Rodriguez have all obtained belts this year.
Nunes and Aldana is the much more enticing prospect and I think all UFC fans are happy there is no trilogy with Pena yet. But Aldana should take some notes from the former champion on how to halt the rampant Nunes.
Who will be the next title contender in the lightweight division?
Originally pencilled in for UFC 288, Oliveira and Dariush’s eagerly awaited tie has now been pushed back to the co-main event in Vancouver this weekend.
Oliveira’s dominant run in the UFC, consisting of a lightweight title triumph, a successful defence of his title and 11 consecutive victories was emphatically halted by Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi last year.
The Brazilian will be looking to kickstart his return to the glory days against Beneil Dariush this weekend, who has barged his way into the contender scene after back-to-back victories over Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot.
Embed from Getty ImagesDariush’s career has stagnated due to a sporadic occurrence of injuries- which has meant there has always been someone else waiting in the wings to take his spot. However, Dariush has continued to win and is looking to make it nine in a row this weekend.
Victory over a vindictive Oliveira will surely present Dariush with a title shot but with Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje set to battle it out at UFC 291, Dana White will have a tricky assignment in organising Makhachev’s next title defence when everything is said and done.
Who will seize the moment in breakthrough bout?
Welterweight executioners meet in the feature bout on Saturday’s main card as “Proper” Mike Malott takes on Adam Fugitt.
The winner of this fight will strengthen their case for an official ranking in the welterweight division, with both men possessing a solid record- accompanied by some noticeable performances.
Malott has picked up a first-round stoppage win in each of his first two appearances inside the Octagon, bringing his record to 9-1-1 overall. Each of those victories have also arrived in the first five minutes.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Dana White Contender Series graduate now has an opportunity to showcase these recently acquired accolades on the big stage and further propel his stock.
Standing in his way is Adam Fugitt- who is making his third appearance in the UFC. His debut ended in defeat against the undefeated prospect Michael Morales, but Fugitt delivered a valiant performance and backed his abilities by defeating Yusaku Kinoshita in February courtesy of a vicious TKO.
Expect a frantic affair on the weekend as both men will desperately be looking for that showcase victory to further develop their growing status in the welterweight circle.
A matchup destined for Fight of the Night
Dan Ige and Nate Landwehr go toe-to-toe this weekend as both men look to seat themselves at the heavily contested featherweight table.
Hawaii-born Ige burst into contention when he flatlined Gavin Tucker in 2021 with a clean one-punch knockout but then went on to lose three on the trot.
Ige did halt his losing streak with a second-round stoppage over Damon Jackson in January with another stellar finish- further illuminating his value to the UFC. His credibility has also been enhanced by the fact that each of his three previous losses have all come by decision.
To continue his resurgence, he will need to navigate through the charismatic and all-action Nate Landwehr.
Landwehr’s tenacious tone on the microphone and his tough demeanour inside the Octagon are hallmarks of a prized UFC fighter.
He will be looking to build on his surging profile this weekend- looking to follow up on his last victory over Austin Lingo, which extended his winning streak to three.
With each of his last four defeats coming against fighters currently positioned ahead of him in the rankings, Ige is seen as a gatekeeper of the featherweight division and Landwehr is certainly capable of breaching through.
Fireworks are expected and I would not be surprised to see this bout named ‘Fight of the Night’.
