Irene Aldana looked like a deer in the headlights against Amanda Nunes in the UFC 289 headliner.
Hesitant to engage from the opening bell, Aldana dropped a lopsided unanimous decision to Nunes in their bantamweight title clash at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Saturday night. Save for a clean right hook in the opening stanza, the Mexican fighter did little to give the champion pause over the course of their 25-minute encounter.
The 35-year-old Lobo Gym MMA representative addressed her performance in a statement on Instagram after the fight.
“It was an honor to face Amanda Nunes,” Aldana wrote. “Incredible athlete and fighter (GOAT).
“I’m sorry to have failed my coaches and all of you. I assure you that this does not stay like this. It was a bad night but the goal is still clear and the objective is still that fourth belt. I promised you and I’m going to fulfill it, whatever the cost.”
All told, Aldana was outlanded by a 142-to-41 count in significant strikes while being taken down six times. She entered the matchup having won four of her previous five Octagon appearances, and seemed to enter the bout with momentum after Mexican fighters Yair Rodriguez and Alexa Grasso captured titles earlier in 2023. It was not meant to be for Aldana against Nunes, however.
“I have already identified this blockage,” Aldana wrote. “I know what I have to do and this will not happen again. I give you my word!
“I’ll be back for all those people who believe in me. If I have learned anything from this sport, it is to always get up. For now, I am going to return to the gym as soon as possible and work very hard to earn that second chance.”
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