Amanda Nunes vs Irene Aldana UFC 289 Vancouver Fight Video Full HD Free Stream Replay Part A

At UFC 289 on Saturday night in Toronto, Amanda Nunes will face off against No. 1 in the women's bantamweight gold competition. 5th place finisher Irene Aldana.

Following her submission loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269, Nunes won her 135-pound championship again with a resounding victory over her.

Pena suffered a training camp injury, and Aldana agreed to the short-term fight about four weeks ago. A trilogy bout was originally scheduled for Saturday.

In her second reign over the 135-pound division, "The Lionness" will make her first defense on Saturday. Nunes has defended the bantamweight belt five times and her featherweight strap twice.

Aldana has a 4-1 record in her previous five bouts, but 0-2 in five-round matches, including the loss to former champion Holly Holm in October 2020.

I'll outline my analysis and projections for Saturday's tilt( ESPN+ PPV, with main event walkouts at roughly 11:50 p.m. ET) below and use those factors to place bets on the main UFC 289 event between Aldana and Nunes.

Amanda Nunes is one of the most intimidating athletes in UFC history in terms of her division. Nunes takes great pride in her strength and physical prowess while punching, kicking, or abusing opponents on the mat after putting them through a takedown.

Nunes has never demonstrated the best cardio throughout her career, despite the fact that using all those potent techniques can drain the gas tank of even the most elite athletes.

Nunes is only 7 to 4 in rounds that go past Round 1. Additionally, she has never finished a fight that went past the eight-minute mark or the first round of the UFC.

By surviving a first-round assault until Nunes eventually punched herself out in Round 2, Julianna Pena was able to win their first matchup. In the end, she reached for a submission that wasn't fully absorbed. In the rematch, Nunes was much more methodical, winning the majority of the opening striking exchanges before using her takedowns over the final three rounds( landed six of seven attempts) and gaining control time( spent nearly 12.5 minutes in control positions).

Aldana took the fight on short notice and with a 0- 2 record in the main events, so I must admit that I have some concerns about her cardio as well. Aldana still has the better gas tank, in my opinion.

Nunes must finish Aldana quickly in order to justify her price tag, or else she will have to land six takedowns and take control positions, just as she did with Pena and Felicia Spencer. Aldana spent time at the bottom of the table with Macy Chiasson( 3:28 of control time) and Holm( 5:14 of takedowns, 5:16 time), but she has never been submitted.

Aldana is the better technical boxer, so even though Nunes has more strength, there's a chance that she will grapple from the start rather than strike first like she did in the Pena rematch. Aldana must then endure the early storm and endure until Nunes' cardio dips.

Aldana can make this fight very competitive on the feet if she can deny the takedowns at some point in it and avoid being clipped by Nunes' elite power. She should be able to play matador and avoid Nunes' pressure by using the octagon because of her good lateral mobility. Additionally, Aldana may have the quicker hands available to resolve a one-inch reach discrepancy.

Aldana is always up for whatever the opponent is, and she won't be intimidated by Nunes' aura, whereas she typically bullies opponents with her impressive physical prowess.

Aldana can make this fight more competitive than the betting line suggests if she can keep it going for any length of time.