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For fans hoping to see a new face in the women’s bantamweight title picture, it looks like they’ll have to wait a little longer. UFC president Dana White has confirmed that a Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Pena trilogy fight is in the works for UFC 289. TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter first reported the news.
The UFC 289 fight card is set to take place on June 10th, with Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Pena serving as the night’s main event. The card will take place in Vancouver, BC, Canada—the UFC’s first event north of the border since UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje back in 2019. The Rogers Center has been tabbed for the event location.
Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Pena is the only womens’ bantamweight title fight since 2019
This booking will feel like an intensely familiar one to fans at this point, Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Pena has been the only women’s bantamweight title fight the UFC has put on going back to December of 2019, when Nunes took on Germaine De Randamie. Nunes went on to defend her featherweight belt twice after that fight, beating Felicia Spencer and Megan Anderson, before dropping back to 135 to take on Pena at UFC 269 in December of 2021.
‘The Venezuela Vixen’ shocked the world that night, upsetting Nunes to give the Brazilian her first loss since a TKO to Cat Zingano in 2014. After a dominant first round for the ‘Lioness’, Pena stormed back, hurt her standing and eventually finished the fight via rear-naked choke in the second round.
Pena’s time as a title holder was short lived, with a rematch against Nunes at UFC 277 a little over six months later. Nunes came into that fight with a switched stance that seemed to entirely befuddle Pena, shutting out the longtime SikJitsu talent for a dominating five round decision.
Aldana & Pennington will stay on the sidelines
Without a clear next contender ready, Nunes has seemed happy to wait and see if a new challenger could rise to the forefront of the bantamweight division. Raquel Pennington has put together a five-fight winning streak over the past three years, but with a TKO loss to Nunes in her first title shot back in 2018, it appears the UFC isn’t eager to stick her back in the spotlight. Irene Aldana is the other top contender on a win streak, but she’s still just two bouts removed from a disappointing loss to Holly Holm.
Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Pena 3 will represent the UFC’s first women’s title fight trilogy in the promotion’s history. Alongside the main event, the card is expected to feature a welterweight bout between Stephen Thompson & Michel Pereira.
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