UFC 289 odds: Nunes defends her title in Vancouver
Amanda Nunes defends her bantamweight title as the UFC returns to Canada for the first time since 2019.
The latest: Irene Aldana will try to steal the title but she’ll have her hands full with the greatest female UFC fighter of all time. The co-main event features a lightweight belt between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush while two Canadians — Mike Malott and Marc-Andre Barriault — get to fight on home soil.
UFC 289 odds
UFC oddsas of 2:38 p.m. ET on 06/04/2023.
UFC 289 odds: Nunes vs. Aldana
Odds: Nunes (-335) vs. Aldana (+255)
It’s been nearly a year since Nunes reclaimed her bantamweight title from Julianna Pena and these -335 odds indicate she shouldn’t have much trouble retaining it.
The Brazilian is a stellar 22-5 and has won 13 of her last 14 fights, beating names like Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), and Ronda Rousey along the way. Anyone who’s anyone in women’s MMA has lost to Nunes at one point or another and Aldana is faced with a monumental task on short notice.
This was originally supposed to be the trilogy fight with Pena but the American was forced to withdraw with broken ribs in early May.
Aldana is on a two-fight winning streak heading into this event and has won four of her last five bouts. The Mexican is a very capable striker, landing 5.39 sig. strikes per minute but she also absorbs a lot of damage (5.71 per minute).
Oliveira vs. Dariush
Odds: Oliveira (+106) vs. Dariush (-130)
Oliveira was dethroned as the king of the lightweight division by Islam Makhachev last October and is now an underdog to the up-and-coming Dariush.
That’s a little surprising considering Oliveira was on an 11-fight winning streak prior to his loss at UFC 280 and holds multiple records including the most finishes in the promotion’s history (19).
Dariush has proven himself as a wrecking ball, though, and is on an eight-fight winning streak heading into this bout. He had three performance of the night bonuses in that stretch and also picked up impressive wins over Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot.
Both of these fighters are elite grapplers so expect the majority of this bout to be contested on the mat.
Malott vs. Fugitt
Odds: Malott (-215) vs. Fugitt (+170)
Malott is a really exciting prospect for Canadian MMA fans. The Burlington, Ontario native was awarded a UFC contract after besting Shimon Smotritsky in Dana White’s contender series and has picked up two more finishes since then including this first-round submission against Yohan Lainesse:
All-in-all Malott boasts a 9-1-1 MMA record with all nine wins coming via finish.
He’ll be going up against Adam Fugitt who owns a 9-3-0 MMA record and is 1-1 in the UFC. Each of his last nine fights has ended via finish (seven wins, two losses) so expect to see some fireworks here.
Ige vs. Landwehr
Odds: Ige (-250) vs. Landwehr (+200)
Ige is a hefty favourite and this is a win the 31-year-old desperately needs. He is coming off a win but lost each of his three fights before that.
Landwehr enters this bout on a three-fight winning streak. The American lands a blistering 6.47 significant strikes per minute and has picked up two performance-of-the-night bonuses in his last three fights.
This is an underdog worth keeping an eye on.
Barriault vs. Anders
Odds: Barriault (-143) vs. Anders (+116)
Another Canadian is on the main card with Barriault. The 33-year-old veteran has a 4-5 UFC record and has fought four times in the last 16 months.
He’ll be going up against Eryk Anders, who picked up a big win over Kyle Daukaus last December. The American had lost six of nine fights before that including each of his last two.
Neither of these fighters is particularly impressive but Barriault is a slight favourite and that’s probably due to home-field advantage.
