UFC champion Amanda Nunes will face challenger Irene Aldana at UFC 289 next month.
Julianna Peña was originally scheduled to face Nunes, but will be unable to compete due to a rib injury. UFC president Dana White confirmed that Pena would not participate in the fight.
The new 135-pound showdown in Vancouver is set to headline the pay-per-view event.
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Julianna Pena fights Amanda Nunes in their women’s bantamweight bout during UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center on July 30, 2022 in Dallas, Texas, United States. (Alejandro Salazar/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
«Unfortunately, [Peña] he broke his ribs and can’t compete,» White said in an Instagram post.
«We have Irene Aldana, who has won four of her last five and three of them were finals. We could have another Mexican world champion.»
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Aldana currently has an 8-4 record in the UFC. He has won six of his last eight, with his most notable win coming in 2019 coming by way of a first-round knockout of Ketlen Vieira.
Julianna Pena fights Amanda Nunes in their women’s bantamweight bout during UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center on July 30, 2022 in Dallas, Texas, United States. (Photo by Alejandro Salazar/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
On the losing end, Nunes suffered her most recent loss to former champion Holly Holm in October 2020.
If Aldana is victorious, she would become the fourth active MMA champion born in Mexico. Flyweight Brandon Moreno, interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez and flyweight Alexa Grasso make up the current group.
Aldana and Grasso are teammates at Lobo Gym.
Julianna Pena prepares to fight Amanda Nunes in their women’s bantamweight bout during UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center on July 30, 2022 in Dallas, Texas, United States. (Photo by Alejandro Salazar/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nunes is widely considered the highest ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world. However, Peña was able to pull off an upset victory in December 2021.
In July 2022, Nunes dominated Peña in their second bout.
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Lightweights Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush are also set to go head-to-head during the UFC 289 card. The event was initially scheduled for the first weekend in May but was postponed after Oliveira suffered an injury.