UFC 289 takes place Saturday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. The headline event is a women’s 135-pound title fight between dominant two-division champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Irene Aldana. We provide a betting preview of the main card with the UFC 289 betting odds from top sports betting sites.
In the co-main event, former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira takes on Beneil Dariush. The latter is a rising contender on an eight-fight winning streak with eyes on a title shot.
UFC 289 main event odds
Amanda Nunes () vs. Irene Aldana ()
While she doesn’t always get the shine she deserves for it, there’s no more dominant champion in the UFC right now than Nunes. She’s held at least one UFC title continuously since 2016. She’s watched generations of 135-pounders come and go during her reign as champ.
Nunes was supposed to finish her trilogy with former champ Julianna Pena here. But after Pena withdrew due to injury, Aldana stepped in as a replacement a little over a month out. Since Aldana was already in training for a May fight, she had plenty of time to prepare for this bout. Still, five-round fights haven’t been kind to her so far. She’s lost all three she’s been in, most recently in a non-title main event against Holly Holm.
Aside from an occasional overzealousness that can cause her to tire quickly, Nunes doesn’t have many apparent weaknesses. She’s a power puncher who doesn’t need to load up to hurt opponents. She can also wrestle and chip away at people with ground strikes.
Aldana is a good striker at range with an improved clinch game and deceptive submission skills from the bottom. But it’s tough to see what she might threaten the best version of Nunes with.
Aldana’s best hope might be that, at 35, this is no longer that best version of the champ. Nunes has looked slightly more mortal in recent fights, and perhaps a little less likely to go all out for a finish. If Aldana can keep the fight on the outside, and at her preferred pace, she has a chance to steal some rounds and make it close on the scorecards en route to a decision. But to do that she’ll have to find a way to stop Nunes from leading the dance. She almost always does when it’s time to defend her title.
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UFC 289 co-main event odds
Charles Oliveira () vs. Beneil Dariush ()
This is Oliveira’s first fight since dropping his lightweight belt to current champ Islam Makhachev last fall. His hope is that a victory over a contender on a long winning streak will slot him right back into the title picture, but he’s got his work cut out for him here.
Dariush hasn’t lost a fight in over five years, and he’s done it by being a smart, patient, and savvy fighter. He doesn’t make many unforced mistakes, and doesn’t get reckless or rattled. Oliveira, on the other hand, sometimes fights like he’s just trying to see how close to losing he can get before he wins. This often serves to open opponents up, at which point he can take the back and look for a choke. It also occasionally gets him into trouble.
UFC 289 props and round betting
The moneyline odds on Nunes aren’t particularly enticing, even if this is one of the more modest closing lines for one of her title fights. That said, she does sometimes go to decisions even in fights where she dominates. That’s only more true when she’s fighting conservatively in an effort to save some gas in the tank, and the over/under here () is worth taking a closer look at.
Elsewhere on the main card, Dan Ige () and Nate Landwehr () seem like they could produce an exciting battle. Ige is a tough test for Landwehr, but there’s also a good chance this one doesn’t make it to the scorecards.
Full UFC 289 odds and fight card
Main card
Amanda Nunes () vs. Irene Aldana ()
Charles Oliveira () vs. Beneil Dariush ()
Mike Malott () vs. Adam Fugitt ()
Dan Ige () vs. Nate Landwehr ()
Marc-André Barriault () vs. Eryk Anders ()
Prelims
Nassourdine Imavov () vs. Chris Curtis ()
Miranda Maverick () vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius ()
Aiemann Zahabi () vs. Aori Qileng ()
Kyle Nelson () vs. Blake Bilder ()
Early prelims
David Dvořák (-265) vs. Stephen Erceg (+225) (DraftKings odds)
Diana Belbiţă () vs. Maria Oliveira ()
How to watch UFC 289
- Early prelims on ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET
- Prelims on ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET
- Main card on ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET
