The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada tonight for UFC 289: “Nunes vs Aldana.” The card was headlined by a UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship matchup between champion Amanda “Lioness” Nunes and challenger Irene Aldana.
In the lightweight co-main event, former champ Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira squared off against Beneil Dariush, who had won eight straight bouts. Also on the main card tonight, “Proper” Mike Malott took on Adam Fugitt at welterweight. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC 289 card.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Amanda “Lioness” Nunes vs Irene Aldana
Round 1:
Nunes opened with a leg kick and two front kicks to Aldana’s body. She tripped Aldana and allowed her to stand up. Nunes landed two jabs and another front kick to the body. Nunes continued to jab and Aldana threw very few strikes in return. A combination landed for Nunes, but Aldana finally connected with an overhand right that briefly knocked Nunes off-balance. 10-9 Nunes.
Round 2:
Aldana circled early in round two and Nunes landed a jab-cross combo before faking a takedown. She landed a three-punch flurry and two hard kicks to Aldana’s lead leg. Nunes landed another leg kick and a step-in elbow. Leg kicks were exchanged and Nunes scored with a knee from a Thai clinch. She grazed Aldana’s nose with a right hook and then took her down with 20 seconds to go. Nunes stood up and allowed Aldana to follow, and the round came to an end. 10-9 Nunes.
Round 3:
Nunes opened the third round with a punching combination to Aldana’s head and body. Kicks were exchanged and Nunes scored a double-leg takedown. She landed elbows from Aldana’s half-guard until Aldana got to her feet. Nunes muscled her back down two more times and took Aldana’s back. Aldana shook her off and avoided an armbar attempt, and the fight returned to the feet. In the final seconds, Nunes landed two right hooks and a knee to Aldana’s face. 10-9 Nunes.
Round 4:
Nunes scored with an elbow and four consecutive jabs in the fourth round. Aldana fought off a takedown attempt and jabbed as she began to bleed from her nose. During a brief clinch, Nunes landed two uppercuts. She took Aldana down and landed a right hook as Aldana stood up. A right-left combo scored for Nunes, then a knee and a right cross. In the final minute, Nunes jabbed and landed a right hook. She finished the round with right hooks to Aldana’s body and head. 10-9 Nunes.
Round 5:
Aldana stuffed one takedown and landed a knee to Nunes’s body, but Nunes got her down on her second try. She pinned Aldana down and threw short punches and elbows. Nunes passed to mount with two minutes remaining and she landed more short punches. Aldana got back to half-guard and Nunes closed out the round with punches to her body and head. 10-9 Nunes, if not a 10-8.
Post-fight, Nunes announced her retirement from the sport.
Winner: Amanda Nunes by Unanimous Decision (50-43, 50-44, 50-44) after five rounds. She improves to 23-5-0 and remains the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira vs Beneil Dariush
Round 1:
Oliveira struck first with a head kick, but Dariush was unfazed and he clinched after landing a combination. Oliveira tried to sweep out Dariush’s leg, but he lost his balance and Dariush wound up on top in Oliveira’s guard. Dariush punched from the top while Oliveira threw hammerfists from his back. Dariush tried to step through to side control and Oliveira attempted a heel hook during the transition. Dariush freed his leg and stood up. He could not pass Oliveira’s guard and Oliveira battled back to his feet. Oliveira landed a head kick and he dropped Dariush with two right hooks. Dariush fell to his back and Oliveira blasted him with hammerfists until the fight was stopped.
Winner: Charles Oliveira by TKO (Punches) at 4:10 of round one. He improves to 34-9-0, 1 NC.
“Proper” Mike Malott vs Adam Fugitt
Round 1:
Malott hurt Fugitt with a body kick in the opening seconds, but Fugitt recovered and he landed a left hook. Malott scored with a right hook behind the ear and another body kick. Time was briefly called when Fugitt was kicked in the groin, but he motioned for action to continue and Malott secured a body-lock takedown. Fugitt got back to full guard and kicked Malott off, then stood up. Malott missed with a head kick, but he caught a kick from Fugitt and tripped him to the ground. 10-9 Malott.
Round 2:
Malott kicked at Fugitt’s body and then dropped him with a quick right-left combo. Malott dove in on a top-side guillotine choke as he rolled into mount, and Fugitt tapped out.
Winner: Mike Malott by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:06 of round two. He improves to 10-1-1.
Dan “50K” Ige vs Nate “The Train” Landwehr
Round 1:
The fighters were somewhat cautious as they circled on the feet during the first half of round one. Ige targeted Landwehr’s body and Landwehr landed a few leg kicks in response. Ige landed a short left hook in close and he blocked a head kick. Landwehr jabbed and landed a left hook, but Ige dropped him with a left hand shortly before the bell. 10-9 Ige.
Round 2:
Landwehr grabbed on to Ige’s leg, but he was unable to take him down and Ige backed away. Landwehr landed a knee and then two more of them in a clinch. Ige backed him up to the cage and landed a jab-cross combo. Right hooks were exchanged and Ige landed a lead left hand that snapped Landwehr’s head back. Ige continued to press forward with jabs and Landwehr threw a front kick to the body in response. Landwehr lunged in with an uppercut and Ige turned him around in a clinch. The fighters separated and Ige dropped Landwehr with a massive left hook. A badly dazed Landwehr barely made it to the bell, then stumbled back to his corner. 10-9 Ige.
Round 3:
Ige stunned Landwehr with another left hook in the final round. Landwehr recovered, but Ige landed two more left hands. Landwehr cut him on the cheek with a jab and both men landed one-twos. The fighters clinched and exchanged elbows against the cage before separating. Late in the round, Landwehr landed two clinch knees and Ige briefly threw him to the mat. Landwehr stood and landed an elbow and a left hook. Close final round. Still 10-9 Ige.
Winner: Dan Ige by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 17-6-0.
Marc-André “Power Bar” Barriault vs “Ya Boi” Eryk Anders
Round 1:
Barriault dropped Anders early in the fight with a body kick and a right hook. Anders recovered and stood up as Barriault landed more punches. Anders knees Barriault’s body and Barriault answered with elbows in close. More punches and elbows were exchanged, and Anders landed a hard knee to Barriault’s chest. Barriault backed Anders up momentarily with a one-two combo. Anders finished a combination of his own with a knee. The clinch battle continued and Anders landed punches until Barriault countered with an elbow and a knee. Another knee landed for Barriault and he stuffed a takedown. Competitive round. 10-9 Barriault.
Round 2:
In the second round, Anders tried to clinch and Barriault scored with a three-punch flurry after pushing him away. Time was called when Anders was kicked in the groin. The fight resumed after a minute and Anders landed a left cross. He took Barriault down, but Barriault got back to his feet. Another timeout was called when Anders sustained a second groin kick. Barriault was strongly warned and Anders landed a left cross and a combination after the restart. In a clinch, Anders threw two knees and a left hook. Barriault landed a body kick late in the round and Anders answered with two straight left hands. 10-9 Anders.
Round 3:
Anders landed two early left hands in round three and Barriault answered with a right cross and a body kick. Anders clinched and he kneed Barriault in the body. Barriault circled away and he landed a right cross and an uppercut. He attacked Anders’s lead leg and body with kicks, then followed with two short uppercuts when Anders closed the distance. Barriault jabbed and then landed a head kick. Anders backed up and Barriault attacked with a kick to the body. Anders connected with two left hands late in the fight. 10-9 Barriault.
Winner: Marc-André Barriault by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 16-6-0, 1 NC.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)