Athletes
Irene Aldana's Time To Shine
Bantamweight Seizes Opportunity To Continue "The Year Of The Mexican Fighter" In UFC 289 Main Event
We’re less than halfway through the 2023 slate in the UFC, but this has already been “The Year of the Mexican Fighter” and Irene Aldana is counting down the hours until she can add to that this weekend.
“It has been amazing,” began Aldana, speaking about the championship successes of Brandon Moreno, Yair Rodriguez, and her long-time teammate Alexa Grasso, each of whom earned finishes in championship fights earlier this year. “Not just that they won it — Yair, Brandon, and Alexa — but how they won, the way they performed in their fights was amazing. I’m very motivated and inspired by them, and I’m glad to join them. I’m sure I will.
How To Watch UFC 289 In Your Country
“It’s a big moment for Mexico and I’m so happy, so proud to represent Mexico on this platform, in the UFC,” continued Aldana, who faces off with Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 289 this weekend at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. “To be able to accomplish this side-by-side with Yair, Brandon, and Alexa is an amazing thing. It gets me so excited, so pumped up that this is happening for Mexico, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
While she’s obviously thrilled to be stepping into the Octagon and competing for UFC gold this weekend, this wasn’t the original plan for either half of Saturday night’s main event.
Aldana was initially booked to face Raquel Pennington in the main event of the May 20 fight card in Las Vegas. They’d fought before, battling to a split decision which tilted in Pennington’s favor, and were poised to run it back, with the winner claiming top spot on the list of bantamweight title contenders.
Nunes was slated to share the Octagon with Julianna Pena for a third time, paired off with “The Venezuelan Vixen” in a championship trilogy fight where the series was tied at 1-1, but all the momentum was in the Brazilian’s favor after “The Lioness” thoroughly out-worked Pena to reclaim the bantamweight title last summer at UFC 277.
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But an injury to Pena forced the promotion to adjust on the fly, and Aldana was the one that got the call.
“It was totally unexpected; it caught all of us by surprise,” Aldana said of the new opportunity before her this weekend. “We were just finishing a wrestling session — a very hard wrestling session — I was all sweaty, I was exhausted. I was grabbing my things to put in my backpack to go home, and I saw my phone had a missed call from Mick Maynard.
Irene Aldana Sits Down With Megan Olivi | UFC 289
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Irene Aldana Sits Down With Megan Olivi | UFC 289
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“I returned the call and he said, ‘Hello Irene — here’s the thing: Julianna is injured, so we want you to take the fight against Amanda Nunes on June 10 for the belt.’”
Though she accepted the fight without hesitation, Aldana was shocked by the change of events, though she probably shouldn’t have been, given her long-held belief about when she would get the opportunity to fight for UFC gold.
“I have a lot of cats and (for a long time) I have been saying when I get a black cat, that is when I’m going to fight with Amanda for the belt,” Aldana offered with a smile. “A baby black cat came into my life and I got the phone call to fight Amanda Nunes three weeks after, so it was a lucky black cat.”
Nunes vs Aldana Main Event Breakdown
She laughed, knowing the exact follow-up that was coming.
“When you say, ‘I have a lot of cats,’” I began, and before I could finish the question, Aldana answered.
“Nine cats, which is a lot of cats,” she said, smiling. “It’s like I have a cat for a contract: I get a UFC contract, and I get a cat, but I don’t plan it — they just come into my life.”
Like el pequeño gato negro, the fight with Nunes just kind of found its way into Aldana’s lap, but that doesn’t mean the talented bantamweight hasn’t been doing her homework on the champion and preparing for this moment for some time.
Stats Don’t Lie: Nunes vs Aldana By The Numbers
Saturday’s fight may have come together hastily and in the waning days of a camp spent readying for someone else, but Aldana has had “The Lioness” in her sights for some time, and believes she’s fully prepared to share the Octagon with her this weekend.
“We always knew the opportunity to fight Amanda was going to come sooner or later, and thought that maybe after my fight with Macy Chiasson, the opportunity will come,” explained this weekend’s title challenger, who enters off back-to-back stoppage wins over Chiasson and Yana Santos, having won four of her last five. “As soon as I finished that fight and came home, I started getting ready for Amanda just in case.
Irene Aldana Fight Week Interview | UFC 289
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Irene Aldana Fight Week Interview | UFC 289
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“I know she can do almost anything that she wants to do, so (I have) to be as ready as her to do my game plan, to be attached to my coach’s instructions. I’m very confident about the work we’ve done in the gym, and I believe if things go right in the gym, things can’t go wrong in the Octagon."
UFC 289 Embedded: All Episodes
“I think we’re at the level to face the champion — I’m not less than her — but she’s accomplished everything that a fighter can accomplish, and she has done a lot of great things,” she added. “I respect her a lot, it’s an honor to fight her, and I have to be ready for whatever surprises she comes with and resolve whatever she brings to the table.”
And while Aldana admitted it would have been nice to be the first person to knock Nunes from the bantamweight throne, she’s confident that she will be the first person to beat the best version of Nunes inside the Octagon this weekend.
“That’s most important to me,” said Aldana, who has been rehearsing the moment Bruce Buffer roars “And New!” on the weekend and the UFC title is wrapped around her waist from the moment the fight came together.
She’s even got props.
UFC 289 Full Fight Card Preview
“I have a fake UFC belt — a little one — that a friend gave me,” explained Aldana, her ever-present smile beaming bright. “I have it in my bedroom and I put it on in the mirror so I can see myself with a little UFC belt, visualizing the big belt.
"I’m just having fun with it,” she added. “All the work is done and now I just have to have fun in there, just go pick up the belt and bring it to Mexico.”
UFC 289: Nunes vs Aldana took place live from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada on June 10, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
