UFC 289 heads to Vancouver and will be headlined by Nunes – Pena 3

Dec 11, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Amanda Nunes moves in against Julianna Pena during UFC 269 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday, the UFC announced that they will be returning to Canada on June 10th. The promotion heads north and will be bringing a title trilogy with it. They announced that arguably the greatest women’s fighter of all time Amanda Nunes (22-5) will be defending her title against former champ Julianna Pena (11-5).

The two will headline UFC 289. For both women, this will be their third straight fight against each other. The first fight came back at UFC 269 in December 2021. Nunes was the long-reigning champion and Pena was the confident challenger.

However, only Pena and her team were the only ones that gave her a shot in the fight. Well, Pena did exactly as she said she would. She pushed forward and broke a tired Amanda Nunes leading to a second round submission and one of the biggest upsets in history.

UFC 289

Amanda Nunes made no excuses but essentially called the first fight a fluke. She vowed to be more prepared for the second fight and she wanted to prove that they were in different levels when it comes to being a mixed martial artist.

The two ran things back last summer at UFC 277 and this time, Nunes was the one who was proven right. While Pena showed incredible toughness and grit, this fight was a five-round beating from the former champion. She dropped Pena multiple times and won an extremely lopsided decision.

Now, these two will settle the score once and for all in front of Canadian fans. Expect Amanda Nunes to be a massive favorite, but Julianna Pena has proven that she can never be counted out.