UFC 289 results, highlights: Amanda Nunes retains title, then retires on top, Charles Oliveira notches KO win

Abraham Smith

The pressure was on for Irene Aldana. A victory over Amanda Nunes at UFC 289 would have made her the fourth Mexican-born UFC fighter this year to win gold. 

Unfortunately for her, Nunes was on another level. The UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion dominated Aldana for five rounds to retain the bantamweight belt Saturday night in Vancouver. “The Lioness” won via unanimous decision, with scores of 50-44, 50-44 and 50-43. 

Following the fight, Nunes retired in the center of the Octagon, ending her legendary career as a double champion. 

Nunes controlled the bout from the opening bell. She used her jab to punish and bloody Aldana in Round 1. “The Lioness” further bullied the challenger with body kicks and multiple takedowns throughout the bout. The confidence that was in Aldana’s eyes during fight week vanished. She ended up looking like a deer in the headlights. 

Nunes used everything in her arsenal in the opening round, and it was more of the same in Round 2. She spread attacks across Aldana’s body. Aldana tried to land leg shots, to no avail. Counter takedowns were Nunes’ bread and butter, and elbows that would have taken out many other fighters landed all over Aldana’s face. 

MORE: Top 10 women’s fights in MMA history

Nunes had a 106-31 edge in significant strikes by Round 4. Aldana managed to land a knee to the gut, but Nunes recovered and smothered Aldana the entire fifth round following a takedown. Unable to get up, Aldana accepted her fate. Nunes walked out with the win and all the glory. 

Nunes brought in her partner, Nina Nunes, and their daughter to celebrate the end of her career, which began when she turned pro in 2008. Nunes holds wins over Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg, Germaine de Randamie and others. Nunes leaves with multiple records in the UFC, including: 

  • Most wins (16) in UFC women’s history
  • Most finishes (10) in UFC women’s history 
  • Most wins (13) in the UFC’s bantamweight division
  • Most takedowns (32) in the UFC bantamweight division
  • First UFC fighter to hold two titles simultaneously and defend them

Her retirement leaves the door open to various bantamweight contenders, from former champion Julianna Pena to Raquel Pennington. 

The co-main event produced plenty of fireworks as Charles Oliveira stopped Beneil Dariush in the first round. Oliveira, the former UFC lightweight champion, landed several head kicks, with one toward the end of the round finally dropping Dariush. The latter looked solid in the beginning, landing vicious elbows on the floor, but once Oliveira got up, it was game over.

MORE: Conor McGregor sends Heat mascot Burnie to ER with pair of punches 

Oliveira has the most finishes in UFC history and is looking to fight for gold again. He may be next in line for lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who beat him at UFC 280 for the vacant belt. Does he get the rematch, or will that title fight belong to the winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje for the BMF title at UFC 291?

Dariush had his eight-fight win streak snapped.

Canada went 6-0 at the event. Diana Belbita beat Maria Oliveira to open the card. Kyle Nelson defeated Blake Bilder, Aiemann Zahabi knocked out Aoriqileng and Jasmine Jasudavicius impressed against Miranda Maverick in other prelims. On the main card, Marc-Andre Barriault beat Eryk Anders and Mike Malott bullied Adam Fugitt, landing a submission to beat him in the second round. 

MORE: Railing collapse during Malott’s walkout causes fans to fall out of stands

The Sporting News provided results and highlights from UFC 289.

UFC 289: Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana results, highlights

Amanda Nunes def. Irene Aldana via pure domination, retains title, then retires 

Round 5: Nunes continued her assault. Aldana landed a knee to the gut but Nunes recovered fast with a takedown. She smothered Aldana, landing elbows to the face. Aldana had no answer for the mighty Nunes. Nunes continued to hold Aldana down to the floor as the final bell rang. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Nunes (Nunes, 50-45)

Round 4: Aldana’s coaches tried to get her to wake up. Nunes landed multiple jabs and a big elbow. Jab by Nunes, and Aldana’s nose got busted open. Nunes punished Aldana with an uppercut and a jab. Another takedown by Nunes, who almost ended Aldana with an overhand shot. Combinations connected, then a right. Through four rounds, Nunes had a 106-31 advantage in significant strikes.

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Nunes (Nunes, 40-36) 

Round 3: Nunes appeared to be playing with her food as she turned this into a vintage performance. Nunes dropped Aldana as Aldana was pressing forward and landing a leg kick. On the floor, Nunes was suffocating Aldana. Aldana tried to get up, but Aldana just pushed her back down. With Aldana on her back, Nunes tried to go for the arm. Aldana got back up but could only muster one big shot. A big knee and right hand connected before the end of the round.  

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Nunes (Nunes, 30-27) 

Round 2: A jab by Nunes connected as the round began. She tried to take down Aldana but failed. Nunes landed combinations while Aldana allowed her to connect. Showing no fear, Nunes was sharing the attacks across Aldana’s body. Nunes dropped Aldana but didn’t follow through. Big knee to the face by Nunes. Aldana went for a leg shot but Nunes landed combinations. Aldana missed a spinning kick while Nunes landed a takedown. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Nunes (Nunes, 20-18) 

Round 1: The atmosphere was intense. Nunes reached in for a jab right away as Aldana used her high guard to block shots. Nunes landed a kick. She teased a knee and then landed a body kick. A takedown by Nunes connected as Aldana looked out of her element. Front kick by Nunes. Aldana with a jab and Nunes was bleeding by the nose. Using everything in her arsenal, Nunes was breaking through Aldana’s defense. Aldana did land a big right hand.  

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Nunes

Here comes the main event. Amanda Nunes defends the UFC bantamweight title against Irene Aldana. Can Aldana become the fourth fighter from Mexico this year to win gold? 

Dariush had his eight-fight win streak snapped. Oliveira is ready to hold gold again. Champion Islam Makhachev sent Oliveira a warning following the fight. 

Charles Oliveira stops Beneil Dariush, returns to contender status 

Round 1: The crowd was on its feet as Oliveira landed a high leg kick. Dariush landed jabs in flurries. Oliveira pulled Dariush to the floor, but Dariush defended and went on full guard. Dariush landed vicious elbows on top. Oliveira tried for a heel hook. Hammer fists by Dariush landed as Oliveira attempted to block some of them. Back up, Oliveira pushed him into the cage. High leg kick by Oliveira and Dariush went down. Oliveira landed huge blows on top, and it was all over. 

11:55 p.m. ET: The People’s Main Event (i.e., the co-main event) is up next: Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush in lightweight action. Can Dariush finally secure a title shot as he take on the former champion? 

Mike Malott submits Adam Fugitt for a clean sweep by Canada

11:40 p.m. ET: Kick to the body by Malott. Fugitt tried to apply pressure, but Malott did not give in and landed a kick close to below the belt. Malott took Fugitt down to the floor, to the delight of his fellow Canadians. Fugitt back up, but Malott quickly took him down again. In Round 2, Malott landed a shot that dropped Fugitt and then forced him to tap. Canada continues to dominate at UFC 289. 

11:30 p.m. ET: A welterweight bout between Mike Malott and Adam Fugitt is next. An entire section of fans fell off the railing as Malott entered the arena. Yikes.

Dan Ige boxes past Nate Landwehr

11:15 p.m. ET: Ige’s power continued to shine as Round 3 commenced. He did not waste any energy as he beat down Landwehr with boxing. Landwehr landed an elbow, but it was all for naught. Ige won via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

11:05 p.m. ET: In Round 2, Ige landed jabs that pushed Landwehr back. Landwehr continued to use the knee, waiting for it to land and force the fight to end. Ige’s jabs continued to land, though he was cut open later in the round. He used his defense to glide past Landwehr. A huge strike to the face of Landwehr, who went down hard before the end of the second. 

10:55 p.m. ET: Nate “The Train” Landwehr faces Dan Ige in featherweight action next. Ige started the fight with combinations to Landwehr’s face. Landwehr attempted to land a few of his own, but Ige landed more volume blows. Left hook to the body by Ige. Landwehr landed a knee and combinations following a miss by Ige. Huge left by Ige before the end of the round dropped Landwehr.

Marc-Andre Barriault def. Eryk Anders in competitive UFC 289 opener

10:45 p.m. ET: Anders pushed Barriault against the fence in Round 3. Barriault landed leg strikes, on the inside and outside. Huge uppercut on the inside by Barriault. Barriault blocked all but one takedown attempt. High head kick by Barriault, followed by one to the chest. The Canadian won via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

10:35 p.m. ET: Anders was the aggressor in Round 2 until Barriault landed a below-the-belt shot. A left by Anders followed by a kick by Barriault. Anders took down Barriault. Another below-the-belt shot by Barriault. The referee didn’t take away a point but did warn Barriault. A kick and a punch combination by Barriault. 

10:25 p.m. ET: Barriault dropped Anders and then pushed him into the cage right at the start. He landed elbows and punches. Anders landed an elbow of his own. He used knees to slow Barriault. Both traded shots, and then Anders landed a right kick to the body. Anders attempted a takedown before the end of the round. 

10:15 p.m. ET: Canadian Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Eryk Anders kicks off the main card. The last time Anders fought in Canada was in 2018. 

10 p.m. ET: The UFC 289 main card has started! 

9:50 p.m. ET: Despite Curtis’ pleading, the doctors thought it was best for him to live to fight another day. The fight is declared a no-contest. 

9:40 p.m. ET: Chris Curtis and Nassourdine Imavov faced off in a middleweight bout before the main card. Imavov bullied Curtis by the cage in the first round. He also landed vicious shots that Curtis could not counter. Imavov looked effective within the range in Round 2. A clash of heads had Curtis cut for the second fight in a row, this time by his eye. Curtis cannot open his eye following the clash. He tried to convince the doctor and referee to give him some time. 

9:25 p.m. ET: Both fighters exchanged blows in Round 2. The underdog Jasudavicius bullied Maverick back to the cage following a flurry of shots. Jasudavicius tried to submit Maverick, but Maverick escaped. Both exchanged shots in Round 3, with Jasudavicius landing the harder of the two. Canada was fired up as Jasudavicius earned the win via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). 

9 p.m. ET: Miranda Maverick and Jasmine Jasudavicius face off in flyweight action. A rising star from Dana White’s Contender Series, Jasudavicius managed to work past Maverick’s explosiveness and had her down by the cage. Maverick tried for the armbar, but knees to the face (which may not have been legal) blocked the attempt. 

8:45 p.m. ET: Aiemann Zahabi and Aoriqileng in bantamweight action. Zahabi landed a massive left hand that took “The Mongolian Murderer” out in the first round. 

8:30 p.m. ET: Kyle Nelson defeated Blake Bilder via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in the opening prelim bout. Big night for Canada as Nelson notched an impressive win. 

8:15 p.m. ET: Before the prelims, Diana Belbita def. Maria Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Following that, Stephen Erceg, who was competing on just a few days’ notice, beat David Dvorak via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27). Dvorak may have just landed a spot in the top 15 at flyweight after his UFC debut. 

8 p.m. ET: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of UFC 289. The prelims are about to get underway, with the main event about four hours away. 

UFC 289 results

Main card

  • Amanda Nunes (c) def. Irene Aldana via unanimous decision for the UFC bantamweight title (50-44, 50-44, 50-43).
  • Charles Oliveira def. Beneil Dariush via 1st-round TKO (4:10).
  • Mike Malott def. Adam Fugitt via 2nd-round guillotine choke submission (1:06).
  • Dan Ige def. Nate Landwehr via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
  • Marc-Andre Barriault def. Eryk Anders via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Prelims

  • Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis ends in a no-contest following a clash of heads in Round 2 (3:04). 
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Miranda Maverick via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
  • Aiemann Zahabi def. Aoriqileng via 1st-round KO (1:04).
  • Kyle Nelson def. Blake Bilder via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). 

Early prelims

  • Stephen Erceg def David Dvorak via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27).
  • Diana Belbita def. Maria Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

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