Fighters Only : UFC 289: Amanda Nunes-Julianna Pena title trilogy bout headlines UFC's return to Canada

Simon Head

Apr 08, 2023

After almost a four-year absence, the UFC is all set to return to Canada, and they’re bringing a pay-per-view event, and a championship trilogy bout, to Vancouver this summer.

Promotion officials confirmed that UFC 289 will take place Saturday, June 10 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, with tickets set to go on sale midday PT on Friday, April 21.

The event represents the first UFC show on Canadian soil since UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje in September 2019. It will also be the 32nd UFC event held in the country.

Headlining the event will be a trilogy clash for the UFC women’s bantamweight title, as two-division champion Amanda Nunes puts her title on the line against the woman who defeated her to take the title in their first meeting, Julianna Pena. The matchup was confirmed to Aaron Bronsteter of Canadian sports network TSN by UFC president Dana White ahead of UFC 287.

That first fight saw Pena claim arguably the greatest title upset in UFC history as she outstruck Nunes, then finished her on the ground with a rear-naked choke to capture the 135-pound title at UFC 269 in December 2021.

That defeat was Nunes’ first since 2014, and snapped a 12-fight win streak for “The Lioness.” But Nunes bounced back immediately in the rematch seven months later at UFC 277 as she claimed a unanimous decision victory to recapture the 135-pound strap in Dallas.

Now, with the rivalry standing at one win apiece, the pair will face off for a third time as they head to Vancouver with the title on the line once again.

The event will also feature a welterweight bout between crowd-pleasing strikers as former title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson takes on the spectacular Brazilian Michel Pereira.

Canadian fighters Jasmine Jasudavicius, Marc-Andre Barriault, Kyle Nelson, Hakeem Dawodu, and Aiemann Zahabi are also slated to appear on home soil.