UFC 289 Preview

Good evening ladies and gentleman, we are in for another epic night of fights on Saturday, June 10. UFC 289 will be taking place in Vancouver, Canada at the Rogers Arena. This fight card is pretty solid from top to bottom. The main card features a title fight as the #1 pound-for-pound female fighter on the planet and arguable GWOAT "The Lioness" Amanda Nunes (22-5) defends her Bantamweight Championship against Irene Aldana (14-6) and former Lightweight Champion Charles "Du Bronx" Oliveira (33-9) will be looking to regain another opportunity at the Lightweight belt against the ultra-talented Beneil Dariush (22-4), in a number one contender fight. Before we witness this fight card on Saturday June 10, I wanted to share my thoughts and predictions on each fight.

Amanda Nunes vs Irene Aldana

Amanda Nunez will be looking to defend her Bantamweight Championship against a potential rising star from Mexico, Irene Aldana. Originally, this card was supposed to be headlined by Nunes vs Pena in a trilogy, but was replaced with Aldana once Pena pulled out of the fight with an injury. Both women have something to fight for. If Amanda wasn't motivated to fight Pena, she has to be motivated for Aldana because Aldana is very elite. We all know Amanda Nunes is the arguable GWOAT and has dominated the best women in the world for years. How can we forget her dominant performance against Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg. Yes, she got caught on a bad night against Julianna Pena by losing her championship in their first fight, but we seen her bounce back in dominating fashion during their second fight. Amanda represents the cream of the crop when it comes to MMA, she has elite striking, elite grappling, and great submission skills. Her legacy is hall-of-fame worthy and she will be looking to make another title defense to add to her list of accomplishments. Aldana on the the other hand, has elite striking in her own right and has been knocking at the door for a title opportunity for some time now. She has put together some solid wins and deserves this opportunity. As usual with all fights, this comes down to which fighter is able to implement their gameplan. Although Amanda has elite striking and has knocked out some of the best fighters in the world, I feel that she will be looking to use more of her grappling skills this fight. Amanda definitely has the advantage on the ground against Aldana and that will be her easiest path to victory. Irene Aldana will definitely be looking to use her elite boxing skills and keep the fight standing. Irene's hands are elite and I'm interested to see if Amanda will start shooting takedowns after testing her stand up. Will Irene be able to bring the belt home to Mexico like Alexa Grasso did? Will Nunes add another title defense to her cemented legacy? We shall find out Saturday night! Prediction: Amanda Nunes 4th-Round TKO

Charles Oliveira vs Beneil Dariush

Now, this fight is the "real" main event for majority of the fans. I must be honest, I'm torn on the winner of this fight. I am fans of both Oliveira and Dariush! In my opinion, this will be an amazing fight and I'm sad that one of these fighters has to lose. Charles Oliveira is the elite of the elite and is looking to earn another shot at the Lightweight Championship, but Beneil Dariush isn't going to make it easy. There's something special about a "true" number one contender fight and that is exactly what we have on our hands with this one. Both fighters can beat anyone on the planet when clicking on all cylinders and I expect both to put on phenomenal performances Saturday night. Oliveira is about as elite as a fighter can get. He has elite striking, possesses some of the best jiu-jitsu in the world, and is an absolute dog. On the other hand, Dariush is also a good striker and has elite grappling skills. As mentioned above, this fight comes down to which fighter is able to implement their respective gameplans. Make no mistake about it, Oliveira will be looking to march forward and put the pressure on Dariush from the opening bell. He will be looking to use his striking to get close, use the clinch, knock him down, and then submit him. Charles has the most submission wins in UFC history and will be looking to add another to the history books. Dariush will be also looking to use his grappling skills. He went on record and told the media that he would get the best of Oliveira at least 9 out of 10 times. I'm not sure if that's the best route for Dariush to take, but we did just see Islam dominate and submit Oliveira last year. Dariush has great hands and will be looking to use his striking in this fight. Will Oliveira be able to submit Dariush and earn a rematch for the belt? Will Dariush finally be able to earn his long-awaited title shot? This fight is a toss up and we shall find out who will be victorious Saturday night! Prediction: Charles Oliveira via 2nd-Round Submission