UFC 289 brought excitement and anticipation with its massive stakes and implications as the UFC returned to Canada. The main card promised to be a night filled with electrifying fights, but one bout stands out above the rest: the showdown between two formidable women’s bantamweight fighters, Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana. The main event clash between Nunes, the reigning and undisputed champion, and Aldana, a rising star in the division, had fight fans buzzing with excitement.
Nunes looked to extend her dominance in the division with a win over Aldana. However, Aldana looked to replicate Julianna Pena‘s upset over Amanda Nunes as both fighters had their eyes set on the prize.
Amanda Nunes won by official unanimous decision (50-44,50-44,50-43). The Brazilian fighter drew the curtains on a legendary career by announcing her retirement following the fight. The MMA community made sure to pay tribute to the star and express their reactions.
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UFC world reacts to double champ Amanda Nunes retiring at UFC 289
The UFC world was in shock, as the legendary fighter called it a day post a dominant win at UFC 289. Nunes seemed very content with her career, as she mentioned the same to Daniel Cormier.
The MMA faithful reacted to the announcement speech made by Amanda Nunes. Ariel Helwani and Belal Muhammad, along with fans and journalists, chimed in with their opinion.
"Tonight is the perfect night to retire," Nunes says.
"Double champion forever."
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 11, 2023
Amanda Nunes takes sole possession for most #UFC wins by a female fighter:
Most Wins:
Amanda Nunes: 16
Jessica Andrade: 15
Valentina Shevchenko: 12
Raquel Pennington: 12
Katlyn Chookagian: 11#UFC289— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) June 11, 2023
Both Amanda Nunes and Khabib Nurmagomedov cited their mothers having concerns about their careers as reasons for retiring from MMA.
— Luke Thomas🏋️♀️ (@lthomasnews) June 11, 2023
Great career 🙏🙏your a legend lioness
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) June 11, 2023
happy retirement to the 🐐 of women’s MMA!
great way to end it for Amanda Nunes 🇧🇷 #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/asMUEUs3a3
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) June 11, 2023
Sorry, but with all due respect to women like Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes is the greatest UFC Women's Fighter Of All Time. The Lioness Of The UFC continues to reign supreme over the Bantamweight Division. #UFC289 🦁👊👑 pic.twitter.com/gGi0iYB11X
— Dmarea Smith (@smith_dmarea) June 11, 2023
The Brazilian experienced a fairytale ending to her career as she clinched a dominant victory in her last outing in the octagon.
What happened between Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana?
Round 1 started with Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana taking precaution and taking it slow. However, Nunes landed most of her strikes while the challenger struggled to make it count. Aldana landed one significant strike that ‘The Lioness’ took notice of. However, the gulf of significant strikes was enormous as the round ended.
The second round saw more pace in the fight, with plenty of leg strikes added into the mix in the initial exchanges. Aldana was cautious all throughout the round. However, she did not inflict any damage on the Brazilian owing to this strategy. Additionally, ‘The Lioness’ secured a takedown towards the end of the round.
Round 3 saw Aldana being taken down by Amanda Nunes. The challenger struggled to get out initially. However, after getting up the Brazilian again took her down. Aldana threw some strikes toward the end of the round.
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The championship rounds started with a flurry of strikes, including a vicious elbow thrown by Nunes. Nunes continued to dominate the round as time passed by. The UFC GOAT put on a dominant performance as she executed her plans successfully.
Round 5 started with Nunes taking down her opponent. The UFC bantamweight legend executed her plan from the coaching department successfully. After the dominant showcase, Nunes hugged commentator Jon Anik and UFC President Dana White.
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What do you think about the main event fight between Aldana and Nunes? What did you make of the Brazilian fighter’s retirement announcement? Let us know in the comments.
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