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Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC 289 on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
The UFC returns to pay-per-view Saturday with UFC 289 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a title fight atop the card.
Here’s how to watch UFC 289, where the women’s bantamweight championship is up for grabs.
Get a special preview of the UFC 289 main event between Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana in this segment from “Countdown.”
Did you miss the debut of UFC 289 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.
The segment takes a special look at the women’s bantamweight title fight between Brazilian champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) and Mexican challenger [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC).
UFC 289 takes place Saturday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
“Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss the entire episode in the video below.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.
Watch Amanda Nunes defend her UFC women’s bantamweight title in the rematch with Valentina Shevchenko back at UFC 215 in 2017.
Some of [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]’s toughest fights have come against fellow great [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag].
Nunes, the UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion, had to fight Shevchenko twice – the first en route to the UFC belt and the second as champion. Perhaps the most debated win came in the second meeting back at UFC 215 in 2017. That night, Nunes defended her belt by defeating Shevchenko in a close split decision. It was a competitive fight that still causes debate.
You can watch the rematch between Nunes and Shevchenko in the video above.
Nunes is gearing up for a title defense for her 135-pound title. She takes on Mexico’s Irene Aldana in the main event of UFC 289 on June 10 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.
The UFC’s long-awaited return to Canada has taken another hit.
The UFC’s long-awaited return to Canada has taken another hit.
[autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] is off UFC 289, as he’s withdrawn from his light heavyweight debut vs. [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] due to injury. The event takes place June 10 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.
A person with knowledge of the withdrawal recently informed MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Daukaus (12-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was enthused to make his debut at 205 pounds, a move he hinted at prior to his final fight at heavyweight. He would’ve entered UFC 289 looking to snap a three-fight skid.
It is unclear if Rountree (11-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) will remain on the card, but if he does, he’ll seek his fourth straight victory after consecutive wins over Modestas Bukauskas, Karl Roberson, and Dustin Jacoby.
With the change, the UFC 289 lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.
Beneil Dariush sees Justin Gaethje avenging his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] sees [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] avenging his loss to [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] at UFC 291.
The “BMF” belt is back, and two of the most violent lightweights will battle for it. Gaethje rematches Poirier in the July 29 headliner, which takes place at Delta Center in Salt Lake City and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Poirier (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) finished Gaethje (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in their first matchup in a 2018 Fight of the Year contender. Since then, both men captured the interim lightweight title but fell short in claiming undisputed gold when they were finished by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Dariush admits he has some bias toward Gaethje but sees “The Highlight” with more fuel this time around.
“I love the fight. I think it’s an amazing fight,” Dariush told MMA Junkie. “I think it does have title implications. I just think they would be behind me. I don’t think they’re gonna be able to step in front of me. I’m leaning towards Justin, and I know he lost the last one, but I feel he’s more motivated. I could be biased, I’ve trained with him, he’s a friend of mine, and I think he’s a great guy. I could be a little bit biased, so I’m leaning towards him.”
Dariush doesn’t classify himself as a “BMF” in terms of character but likes the added perks that the belt brings. Gaethje called the belt “kind of stupid,” but said it gives a chance for better pay.
“As far as the ‘BMF’ belt, it’s cool,” Dariush said. “I don’t really have too many thoughts on it. I saw something with Justin Gaethje saying you get more money if you have it – it’s another perk. So, it’s a belt, some people like it, some people don’t. I was never really that interested in belts anyway. I just like beating up people, and I want to beat up the best people. It’s not a negative or a positive for me, but I like the fact that it brings in more eyes.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
Amanda Nunes thought she was done after her shocking defeat to Julianna Peña at UFC 269.
[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] thought she was done after her shocking defeat to [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] at UFC 269.
Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) lost her bantamweight title to Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) by submission in December 2021 in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in the promotion’s history.
It was a tough pill to swallow for the UFC dual champion, who admitted she thought about retirement in the immediate aftermath.
“I was very confused,” Nunes told ESPN. “Losing my belt was crazy. But at the same time, I know I was sad. Something was wrong. Something wasn’t right. And that’s why it looked, like, not real for me. And then when actually I saw Din (Thomas), right in the arena outside, and I gave him a hug, I looked at him and I said, ‘I think I’m done.’ And we looked at each other, and he looked: ‘Are you sure? OK, call me later. Talk to me later.'”
But Nunes said it didn’t take long for her to snap out of that thought – especially when thinking whom she lost the belt to.
“I drove back home, and I was putting my thoughts together, – everything: what I went through, going through that camp, everything that I was upset about – and I was sad too, a couple moments in the camp,” Nunes said.
“When I put everything together and me and (my wife) Nina were talking, I said, ‘I cannot leave my belt with Julianna. It can be (anybody) else but her. I cannot leave my belt with that girl. She’s not deserving of that belt. She didn’t do anything to really deserve to hold that belt.'”
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Nunes regained the title from Peña in their rematch at UFC 277 with a lopsided decision win. The pair was booked for a trilogy bout at UFC 289 on June 10 in Vancouver, but Peña was replaced by Irene Aldana (14-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) after she pulled out due to broken ribs.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.
Beneil Dariush is looking forward to getting wild at UFC 289.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] knows what’s in store when fighting Charles Olivera, and yes, he’s looking forward to it.
Longtime lightweight contender Dariush (22-4-1 MMA, 16-4-1 UFC) takes on former champ Oliveira (33-9 MMA, 21-9 UFC) on June 10 in the co-main event of UFC 289, which takes place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
It’s a fan-favorite matchup, and also one that could determine the next title challenger for reigning 155-pound titleholder Islam Makhachev.
Given the stakes, Dariush knows a measured approach is the best route to secure himself a title shot. However, the idea of going toe-to-toe with the Brazilian appeals very much to Dariush.
“Game plan wise it’s to be perfect and to not do that,” Dariush told MMA Junkie. “Fifteen minutes of staying consistent, of staying on the game plan and just being focused and keeping a steady pace, somewhat like the Gamrot fight. But, at the same time, I’ve watched his fights. I’ve studied his tape. And when I see the wild exchanges, the blood starts pumping.
“I hope I can be consistent with what I say, and I stick to the game plan, but I wouldn’t doubt, sometimes I kind of lose it, I wouldn’t doubt if in the fight I kind of lost it a little bit and chased the dog fight, and that part because that’s my favorite. That’s what I actually enjoy the most, getting into those dog fights. Controlling myself is the hard part.”
Oliveira has proven to be one of the most exciting fighters in the elite echelon of the lightweight division, as proven by his UFC record 19 stoppage wins inside the octagon. His wild, and at times frantic style, remains true on both the striking and grappling departments.
Dariush is as excited to exchange with Oliveira on the ground just as much on the feet.
“I actually get more pumped up about the grappling,” Dariush said. “I’m not going to lie, to get into some of the scrambles with him and to be able to kind of just go nuts on the ground, that’s just as exciting as the standup is. An opportunity to have this fight on the ground, I’m actually really looking forward to that because you see him submit so many people, and you wonder how good his jiu-jitsu is. But then at the same time, you see him lose when he shouldn’t lose in the grappling, so I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on him and getting a feel of his grappling.”
Ultimately, though, Dariush is looking to make it a one-sided affair.
“The focus of this fight is to be perfect,” Dariush said. “Personally, the way I see it is domination. I plan on dominating this fight. I want to remind people. because I think my last fight was kind of close. … The fight will be an absolute domination, is what it’s going to be. I will do what I plan to do, and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. That’s what I hope for.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.
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Chris Curtis doesn’t want to go back to welterweight, but if that’s his only option to get a UFC rematch with Kelvin Gastelum, so be it.
[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] sure doesn’t want to go back to welterweight. But if that’s the only way he can get one particular shot at redemption, he just might do it.
Curtis fought at welterweight in the PFL and on Dana White’s Contender Series, but has been much happier in recent years at middleweight. And after a bonus-winning knockout of Joaquin Buckley this past December, the 35-year-old got a matchup with Kelvin Gastelum that could truly have propelled him in the division.
But at UFC 287 in Miami in April, Curtis lost a decision to Gastelum. It was a Fight of the Night winner, and the extra $50,000 no doubt was great. But Curtis maintains he won the fight.
In fact, he planned an appeal of the result with the contention that a clash of heads in the second round led to a knockdown that swayed the judges and cost him the round, and therefore the fight.
“I’ll always be mad about it,” Curtis recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ll always say I refuse to call it a loss. It’s weird for me, because I, honest to God, I beat Kelvin Gastelum. Out of everybody in that building that night, Kelvin Gastelum’s the one guy I beat. I definitely didn’t beat the ref. I didn’t beat the judges on that one, but Kelvin – I beat Kelvin. He knows I beat Kelvin. But I lost everybody else in that building that night, unfortunately.”
Gastelum picked up a pair of 29-28 scores and a 30-27 from the three judges in Miami and was praised after the fight for his comeback from five losses in six fights. Of the MMA media sites tracked by MMA Decisions, around 80 percent scored the fight for Gastelum.
Curtis just thinks the brakes just a little bit and wishes he had the win to put on his resume.
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“It just sucks because I know what happened. He knows what happened. And I just feel like it’d be a really good feather in my cap,” Curtis said. “Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, it was the best (Gastelum’s) looked – he’s back in his best form.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I beat that guy. I was good and I beat that guy.’ They’re like, ‘That’s the Kelvin that fought (Israel Adesanya).’ And I’m like, ‘Cool – that’s great. He was that Kelvin, but I was better than him that night.’
“I’ll never get that feather in my cap, so that one kind of stings. I can’t change history. Luckily for me though, the UFC’s not treating it like a loss. They kind of rolled through it and they haven’t set me back. They gave me a really good fight going forward, and I’ll take it.”
Curtis (30-10 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has been booked at middleweight against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 289 on June 10 in Vancouver, where he’ll try to get back in the win column.
But Gastelum announced on social media in the days after his win over Curtis that instead of staying at middleweight, he’ll return to welterweight, a division in which he struggled to make weight on multiple occasions in his first handful of fights after Season 17 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
That means if Curtis wants to fight him again, he might have to do it at welterweight.
“Hopefully I’ll find Kelvin again,” he said. “Going to 170 means nothing to me. I can still make ’70 – it sucks, but I’ll still make it. You can’t change weight classes to escape this ass whooping. So I’ll find it eventually.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.
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Watch UFC 289 headliner Amanda Nunes recapture the women’s bantamweight title with a dominant showing against Julianna Peña at UFC 277.
[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] thought she had a trilogy on her hands until a few weeks ago.
Nunes was set to defend her women’s bantamweight title in a rematch with Julianna Peña at UFC 289 next month until Peña pulled out with an injury. Instead, Irene Aldana (14-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) will step in to challenge Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) for the 135-pound belt in the June 10 main event at Rogers Center in Vancouver.
Nunes was stunned by Peña with a second-round submission in their first fight at UFC 269 in December 2021. It is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. But Nunes, also the UFC’s women’s featherweight champion, avenged that loss in a big way when she dominated Peña to recapture the title at UFC 277.
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In Dallas in July 2022, Nunes delivered a shutout on the scorecards to take the bantamweight title back from Peña with scores of 50-43, 50-44 and 50-45.
Ahead of Nunes’ first title defense in her second bantamweight reign, check out how she beat Peña in their second meeting in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.
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Before Charles Oliveira gets back in the octagon at UFC 289, it’s time to look back at each of his UFC record 19 finishes.
The most prolific finisher in UFC history returns to action next month when former lightweight champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] meets Beneil Dariush in the co-main event of UFC 289.
After he dropped the 155-pound belt to Islam Makhachev this past October, Oliveira (33-9 MMA, 21-9 UFC) will attempt to get back in the title picture in a key clash with Dariush (22-4-1 MMA, 16-4-1 UFC) on June 10 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Oliveira made his UFC debut in August 2010, and in the more than 12 years since has racked up an octagon record 19 finishes. “Do Bronx” is one of the most consistently exciting fighters the sport has ever seen, and before his next trip to the cage, it’s time to relive each time he’s put an opponent away inside the distance.
Check them all out below.
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