Tag: UFC 289

Chris Daukaus drops down to light heavyweight, meets Khalil Rountree at UFC 289

Chris Daukaus will seek new life at 205 pounds when he meets Khalil Rountree at UFC 289.

[autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] will seek new life at 205 pounds.

After spending his entire professional MMA career as a heavyweight, Daukaus (12-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) makes his light heavyweight debut against [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) at UFC 289 on June 10 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, per promotion officials.

Daukaus, 33, will look to snap a three-fight losing skid after suffering knockout losses to Derrick Lewis, Curtis Blaydes, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Prior to that, the 33-year-old Philadelphia native was on a five-fight winning streak, which all came by knockout.

Rountree, 33, is enjoying arguably his best octagon run. The “Ultimate Fighter 23” finalist has won his past three in a row – scoring back-to-back Round 2 TKO’s of Modestas Bukauskas and Karl Roberson, followed by a split decision over Dustin Jacoby this past October.

The latest UFC 289 lineup now includes:

  • Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
  • Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Eryk Anders vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
  • Diana Belbita vs. Maria Oliveira
  • Blake Bilder vs. Kyle Nelson
  • David Dvorak vs. Matt Schnell
  • Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr
  • Lucas Almeida vs. Hakeem Dawodu
  • Aori Qileng vs. Aiemann Zahabi
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Chris Curtis vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Adam Fugitt vs. Mike Malott
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Khalil Rountree

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Amanda Nunes warns Julianna Peña: ‘I’m gonna put your ass down’ in UFC 289 trilogy bout

“If you rush on me Julianna, I’m gonna put your ass down.”

[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vows to put [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] down if she charges at her.

Two-division UFC champion Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) is set to defend her bantamweight title against Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in a trilogy bout which headlines UFC 289 on June 10 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Peña dethroned Nunes at UFC 269 by second-round submission in December 2021, but Nunes was able to score four knockdowns over Peña to win their rematch by lopsided decision at UFC 277 in July. Peña admitted that Nunes’ southpaw stance threw her off, and “The Lioness” warns her of the same fate if she attacks her recklessly.

“If you rush on me Julianna, I’m gonna put your ass down,” Nunes told TSN. “I’m telling you: Rush on me and I’m gonna put your ass down. My timing is on point to take you down anytime I want.”

Peña fired back, reminding Nunes of the changes she had to make in both the lead-up and the fight itself after she was finished in their first fight. Nunes parted ways with American Top Team and opened up her own gym to prep for their rematch.

“I turned the greatest striker of all time into a Holly Holm counter-punching southpaw,” Peña responded.

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Peña questioned Nunes’ motivation and longevity in the sport if she were to lose her title again, but Nunes assured that she won’t be walking away after UFC 289.

“I’ve been in this sport for so long, I did everything that I want,” Nunes said. “I accomplish everything, baby. This fight’s not gonna be my retirement fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush rescheduled for UFC 289 in Vancouver

It didn’t take long for the UFC to get the crucial lightweight bout between Charles Olivera and Beneil Dariush back on the books.

It didn’t take long for the UFC to get the crucial lightweight bout between [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] and [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] back on the books.

After an injury to former champion Oliveira (33-9 MMA, 21-9 UFC) caused a postponement to his clash against Dariush (22-4-1 MMA, 16-4-1 UFC) at UFC 288 on May 6, the promotion has now rescheduled the matchup for UFC 289 on June 10 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

UFC president Dana White officially announced the matchup Thursday on Instagram Live.

The fight is expected to serve as the co-main event of UFC 289, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Oliveira, 33, will look to rebound from a vacant title challenge loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, which snapped an 11-fight winning streak. Although Oliveira won his previous meeting against Justin Gaethje, he lost the title on the scale, weighing in one-half-pound over the championship limit. Oliveira won the title at UFC 262 by stopping Michael Chandler and defended in a submission victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.

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The former champ Oliveira currently holds the No. 2 spot in the latest USA TODAY SPORTS/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, with Dariush not far behind at No. 5.

Dariush, 33, has been on fire since 2018. The 21-fight UFC veteran has won eight straight, including stoppages of Drew Dober, Frank Camacho, Drakkar Klose and Scott Holtzman. His two previous appearances were unanimous decision wins over former interim champ Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot.

The latest UFC 289 lineup now includes:

  • Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
  • Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Eryk Anders vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
  • Diana Belbita vs. Maria Oliveira
  • Blake Bilder vs. Kyle Nelson
  • David Dvorak vs. Matt Schnell
  • Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr
  • Lucas Almeida vs. Hakeem Dawodu
  • Aori Qileng vs. Aiemann Zahabi

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

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Stephen Thompson inspired by ‘predominantly a striker’ Leon Edwards being UFC champion

Stephen Thompson is excited to see a striker atop the UFC welterweight division.

[autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] is excited to see a striker atop the welterweight division.

Two of the longest-reigning welterweight champions in UFC history have been Georges St-Pierre and Kamaru Usman, who both possessed a strong wrestling game.

No one had an answer for Usman’s dominance in the 170-pound division until Leon Edwards came along and defeated him twice. Edwards dethroned Usman with a head-kick knockout, then fended off his grappling to retain his title in their rematch. So, with “Wonderboy” being a decorated striker, it gives him hope that he can perhaps push for one more title run.

“Very exciting,” Thompson told MMA Junkie of Edwards being champion. “And it actually gives me inspiration, with Leon being predominantly a striker and being champ right now. It’s awesome. His takedown defense is really good, his takedowns are good.

“He’s out-grappled a lot of guys, a lot of elite guys, but he’s predominantly known as a striker. For anybody to be able to take down Kamaru Usman in the first round and control him, that’s saying something about your grappling, and Leon’s got it. He’s very well rounded. So, it does give me inspiration knowing that he’s the champ, and I could be there too.”

Based on his resume, Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) expects Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) to stay champion. Prior to beating Usman twice, Edwards defeated the likes of Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, and Gunnar Nelson.

“He had a crazy winning streak before he even got his first title shot and beat some really good guys,” Thompson said. “Now has beaten one of the GOATs of the UFC, which is Kamaru Usman. He beat him twice. So, I see him across the cage. I really do.”

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Former two-time title challenger Thompson will look to kickstart another run to the top when he meets Michel Pereira at UFC 289 on June 10 in Vancouver.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

UFC finalizing Chris Curtis vs. Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 289

Eleven days after his UFC 287 loss, Chris Curtis has agreed to fight Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 289 in Vancouver.

A middleweight bout is heading to Vancouver.

[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] and [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] have agreed to fight at UFC 289, the promotion’s first post-pandemic event in Canada. The card takes place June 10 at Rogers Arena.

A person with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking with the promotion shortly after the UFC officially announced the bout. MMA Fighting first reported the news Wednesday.

The two fighters were scheduled to face each other pre-UFC at ARES FC 2 in October 2020, but the event was canceled due to COVID-19 complications.

Curtis (30-10 MMA, 4-2 UFC) recently competed April 8 at UFC 287 in Miami when he lost a unanimous decision to Kelvin Gastelum. The loss was his second in three fights. Curtis announced after the defeat he would appeal the loss on the grounds that an inadvertent headbutt in Round 2 led to the defeat.

Imavov (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) looks to bounce back from a unanimous decision defeat to Sean Strickland in the UFC Fight Night 217 main event Jan. 14. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak that included victories over Ian Heinisch, Edmen Shahbazyan, and Joaquin Buckley.

With the addition, the UFC 289 lineup includes:

  • Champion Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira
  • Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr
  • Chris Curtis vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Eryk Anders vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
  • Diana Belbita vs. Maria Oliveira
  • Blake Bilder vs. Kyle Nelson
  • David Dvorak vs. Matt Schnell
  • Lucas Almeida vs. Hakeem Dawodu
  • Aori Qileng vs. Aiemann Zahabi

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Julianna Peña on Amanda Nunes: ‘I turned the greatest striker of all time into a wrestler’

Julianna Peña thinks Amanda Nunes is afraid to stand with her in their women’s bantamweight title trilogy rematch at UFC 289 in Vancouver.

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] is afraid to stand with her.

After Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) pulled a stunning upset to dethrone Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) by submission at UFC 269, Nunes reclaimed the bantamweight title in their rematch at UFC 277 with a dominant decision.

With their series tied 1-1, Peña and Nunes will square off in a trilogy to headline UFC 289 on June 10 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Peña showed heart in their second fight, but Nunes’ southpaw stance allowed her to find plenty of success on the feet, where she recorded three knockdowns. Nunes also landed six takedowns, and Peña thinks “The Lioness” took the fight to the mat for a reason.

“I definitely think that you’ve got to give credit where credit is due, and I outsmarted her the first time, she outsmarted me the second time,” Peña said on The MMA Hour. “But the reality is, is that there will be no more surprises, especially because we’ve shared 35 minutes inside the octagon together. I will be ready for Amanda whether she comes out southpaw, whether she comes out orthodox, whether she comes out on her head walking on her hands. I will be ready and I will have an answer for her every way.

“The surprises are gone. There’s no more surprises, and she’s going to have to fight me. I turned the greatest striker of all time into a wrestler who wanted to lay and pray on me because she didn’t want anything to do with me on the feet. She knows that if we’re going toe-to-toe and standing in the pocket that she’s going to lose that every single time, and I’ve got my money with me winning that fight every single time. But she was more strategic than me (in the rematch) – I give her that credit, absolutely. And then we’re going to go take it back June 10 to see who the real champion is, and it’s going to be me.”

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Nunes said she’s OK with facing Peña again, but expected Irene Aldana to be next. According to Peña, though, the dual-champion wanted to be part of the trilogy bout.

“The brass told me directly she does not want to fight me,” Peña said.

“They said if she didn’t fight against me that she would be stripped (of the title), so she had no choice but to fight me. She doesn’t want to fight me. They told me she doesn’t want to fight me, and she’s being forced to fight me because this is the only fight that makes sense.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Stephen Thompson: ‘I still feel like I have the ability and youthfulness’ to make another UFC title run

Make no mistake about it: Stephen Thompson, at 40, is still gunning to become UFC champion.

Make no mistake about it: [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] is still gunning to become UFC champion.

Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) snapped a two-fight losing skid with a striking masterclass over Kevin Holland this past December in the UFC on ESPN 42 headliner. Those two losses came to top contenders Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad, who used a grappling-heavy approach to stifle his offense.

Thompson’s next assignment comes in the form of flashy striker Michel Pereira (28-11 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on June 10 at UFC 289 in Vancouver. Pereira is on a five-fight winning streak, but the Brazilian sits numerous spots below “Wonderboy” in the rankings. Thompson, a former two-time title challenger, explains that with a solid win over Pereira, he aims to return to top contention.

“After those two losses, I’m going to have to do some work in order to get back to fight somebody that’s ranked higher than me,” Thompson, 40, told MMA Junkie. “So I think a good win over Kevin and a good win over Michel Pereira, the next fight after that I could definitely be fighting somebody in the top 5. And that’s the goal: to go for that title run again. And I still feel like I have the ability and youthfulness to do so. I think a good win over him will set me up perfectly for a fight in the top five.”

Thompson has halted the momentum of numerous rising contenders such as Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal when cementing his spot as a top contender. Despite Pereira’s wild style in the octagon, Thompson rates his striking very highly and is excited for the challenge.

“I think he’s very good,” Thompson said. “He actually comes from a karate background. He’s competed in a lot of karate tournaments back in the day. So he’s familiar with my style, which I think is gonna make it interesting. What kind of changes is he gonna make for it? But predominantly he keeps one side forward – he switches every now and then, but predominantly he’s a right-handed guy.

“So he keeps his left side forward, loves the flying knees, loves to throw his right hand. He’s a big welterweight, and when a big guy like that hits you a few times, you’re gonna feel it a lot more with a guy with a bigger body than somebody your size. So I’ve got to be aware. I’ve got to be on my P’s and Q’s when I fight him. He’s a very good striker.”

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“Wonderboy” is excited about standing and trading with Pereira, but what are the chances Pereira shoots for a takedown? Thompson says more than likely.

“I’ve seen him fight, and he does shoot,” Thompson said. “He shot against Ponzinibbio. I would say it’s like 65 percent percent chance he’s gonna shoot. I didn’t think one time that Kevin (Holland) was gonna do it, and he did several times. So I think Michel definitely, when he gets out there, he’s gonna be shooting. Maybe not first round, maybe second and third, but we’ll see.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

https://youtu.be/8rBULmLkbgo

Video: Was the UFC 289 Julianna Peña trilogy the right fight to make for Amanda Nunes?

A recently announced title fight for the UFC’s return to Canada was met with at least a moderately raised eyebrow in the MMA community.

A recently announced title fight for the UFC’s return to Canada was met with at least a moderately raised eyebrow in the MMA community.

Dual women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) will defend her 135-pound belt in the UFC 289 main event against [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on June 10 in Vancouver.

Peña pulled off a stunning submission upset of Nunes to win the bantamweight title at UFC 169 in December 2021. It is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. But this past July, Nunes put on a mostly dominant performance to take back the belt with a unanimous decision.

Because the pair is knotted at 1-1, the trilogy fight itself is not a surprise. But the timing of it even surprised Nunes – who said she thought she’d fight Irene Aldana next.

So what do we make of the announcement? Should Peña have needed another win to get a third fight with Nunes? Along with Aldana, what other options are out there for Nunes at 135?

This week’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura tackled the topic with host Mike Bohn. Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

Amanda Nunes OK with Julianna Peña trilogy at UFC 289, but expected Irene Aldana next

Amanda Nunes thought she’d fight Irene Aldana next – not Julianna Peña, whom she’ll face in a trilogy rubber match at UFC 289 in Vancouver.

[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] thought she’d fight [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] next – not [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag].

But instead, the promotion opted to book dual-champion Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) against Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) for the bantamweight title in the UFC 289 headliner on June 10 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

With their series tied 1-1, Peña long has been calling for a rubber match and eventually got her wish. But Nunes admits she expected fresh blood for her next title defense.

“I always say I have to leave it to what the UFC decides,” Nunes told ESPN. “I’m ready. I’ve been training. I’m healthy. So whatever UFC wants to do, I’m ready. I love to do this. I love to fight. I’m here to defend my belt, and Julianna wants it again. I don’t have any problems with defending my belt against her.

“I thought it was going to be (Aldana). Everything changed to Julianna, and I was OK with it, too. No matter what, whatever UFC showed me (for an) opponent, I’m going to be happy to defend my belt.”

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Peña dethroned Nunes with a stunning upset submission at UFC 269 in December 2021. But Nunes exacted her revenge when she scored a dominant decision in their rematch at UFC 277 – and she expects to replicate that performance in their trilogy.

“Obviously, it’s five rounds, I look forward to that,” Nunes said. “It’s going to be domination. If I have the opportunity to finish her, I will this time finish her. Whatever happens, I’m going to be the one who’s going to have their hand raised at the end of the night.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

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Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña title-fight trilogy bout headlines UFC 289 in Vancouver

Amanda Nunes and Julianna Peña will decide their trilogy for women’s bantamweight gold in the main event of UFC 289 in June.

Fresh off the news of the promotion’s return to Canada, June’s UFC 289 event has its headliner.

UFC president Dana White announced to Aaron Bronsteter of Canadian broadcast partner TSN on Friday that a women’s bantamweight trilogy bout between [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] and [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] will receive top billing on the June 10 pay-per-view card, which takes place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) scored a massive upset of Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) at UFC 269 in December 2021 to claim the title by second-round submission. The pair had a rematch in July, with Nunes dominating for five rounds en route to a unanimous decision.

The pair will now meet one more time, with bragging rights and gold on the line.

Nunes, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings, is the most decorated women’s fighter in MMA history. She is currently also the UFC women’s featherweight champ, but hasn’t defended that title since March 2021. “The Lioness” has won 12 of her past 13 fights, with the lone blemish being the loss to Peña that she avenged.

Peña, who is ranked No. 2 at women’s bantamweight, will attempt to make history and become the only fighter to defeat Nunes twice in MMA competition.

The latest UFC 289 lineup currently includes:

  • Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Eryk Anders vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
  • Diana Belbita vs. Maria Oliveira
  • Blake Bilder vs. Kyle Nelson
  • David Dvorak vs. Matt Schnell
  • Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr
  • Lucas Almeida vs. Hakeem Dawodu
  • Aiemann Zahabi vs. Aori Qileng