By Kenny Burgess
The UFC heads north of the border this weekend as UFC 289 takes place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. The event is headlined by the Women’s Bantamweight Title bout between current champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Irene Aldana. Here are some of the fights we’re looking forward to watching and some tips if you’re looking to bet on them.
Main Event: (C) Amanda Nunes vs. (#5) Irene Aldana
Nunes comes into the fight as an overwhelming favorite at -315 and rightfully so as she is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Nunes holds an impressive professional record of 22-5-0 and is coming off a win by unanimous decision against Julianna Peña at UFC 277. The challenger Aldana is a big underdog at +265 and will have her hands full with Nunes, but she’s no slouch and enters with a professional record of 14-6-0. Of those 14 wins, nine have come by way of first-round finishes. If Aldana has a chance of upsetting the champ, it would be early on in the fight as that is when she is most dangerous.
Main Card: (#1) Charles Oliveira vs. (#4) Beneil Dariush
This lightweight bout is one of the biggest tossups on the card but also might provide one of the best opportunities for an “upset”. I put upset in quotes because Charles Oliveira enters as a +123 underdog despite winning 11 of his last 12 fights and being the former Lightweight Champion of the world. Oliveira did lose his last fight to the current Lightweight Champ Islam Makhachev, but prior to that fight, he had rattled off 11 straight wins. Oliveira holds a record of 33-9-0 and has won 21 of those bouts via submission. Beneil Dariush enters as one of the hottest fighters in the UFC and is riding an eight-fight win streak. This has led to him being the -155 favorite. Dariush’s career record is 22-4-1, but a majority of his wins have come via decisions. This is not to take anything away from Dariush, but Oliveira is one of the most established fighters the sport has ever seen and sits fifth all-time on the UFC victory list. Oliveira also has an uncanny ability to take damage and still find a way to come out on top.
Main Card: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Eryk Anders
This middleweight tilt should be an entertaining one and can truly go either way. Eryk Anders is a +125 underdog and will look to get a win on Marc-Andre Barriault’s home turf. Barriault is a native of Canada and enters as a -145 favorite to win the fight; his professional record is 15-6-0 and he is known for being a power striker with 10 of his wins coming via knockout. Anders holds a record of 15-7-0 and is also known for his power with nine of his wins coming by knockout. With both of these power punchers, don’t be surprised if this fight finishes with a highlight reel knockout.
Prelim Fight: (#12) Nassourdine Imavov vs. (#14) Chris Curtis
This Middleweight fight should be one of the highlights of the preliminary card. Nassourdine Imavov is a -150 favorite and enters with a record of 12-4-0. He faces Chris Curtis who is a +130 and has a professional record of 30-10-0. Imavov is the hotter of the two, winning three of his last fights, while Curtis has lost two of his last three with both losses coming via unanimous decision. Also, of Imavov’s 12 wins, seven came in the first round so look for him to try to finish Curtis early.
Overall, UFC 289 should be an exciting night filled with close fights and plenty of power strikes on the card where there could be some highlight reel moments. When the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter is on the card, it’s instantly a must-watch but we’re lucky enough that there are a lot of great fights and we should be on the edge of our seats all night. Maybe we’ll also make some money along the way.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
