Amanda Nunes announces retirement after defending UFC title with unanimous decision win over Irene Aldana
Brazil’s Amanda Nunes claimed UFC 289 victory over Mexico’s Irene Aldana in Canada, defending her bantamweight belt; Nunes won by scores of 50-44 (two), 50-43; 35-year-old, she then announced her retirement from the sport in the Octagon
Defending UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes took a unanimous decision against Irene Aldana on Saturday night in UFC 289 in Vancouver, Canada, and then promptly announced her retirement.
Nunes, who is also the UFC women’s featherweight champion, won by scores of 50-44 on two judges’ cards and 50-43 on the third one.
She made a show of her decision to quit the sport, placing her two UFC belts in the Octagon, and after her gloves were cut from her hands, she tearfully knelt down over the belts.
“Brazil, come get these belts! I’m leaving!” Nunes, a Brazilian, said. She exits with a 22-5 record.
Nunes was originally slated to fight Juliana Pena, who interrupted the Brazilian’s dominant bantamweight run with a surprise win in December 2021 before losing the rematch, but Pena suffered a rib injury and had to withdraw.
Mexican Aldana was thrown into the fray as a replacement and she proved no match for Nunes, who outclassed her in every facet of the game en route to a dominant victory.
As the final moments of her career played out, the Brazilian enjoyed a dance with her daughter Raegan in the octagon before revealing that her wife Nina is pregnant with their second child, adding that family was the reason for her retirement.
“My mom was asking me so much to do this (retire) for so long, she can’t take it anymore,” Nunes said.
“My partner as well, Nina, she’s been around so much with me my whole career. I decided right now I’m still young enough to enjoy everything that I made. I’ve got to travel, I want to be with my family.”
Aldana, of Mexico, fell to 14-6. Nunes finished with 197 total strikes to 49 for Aldana, and led in significant strikes 147-38.
The co-main event saw lightweight Charles Oliveira, also of Brazil, take out Beneil Dariush of the U.S. by technical knockout at 4:10 of the first round.
Oliveira, a former lightweight champ, ran his record to 34-9, while Dariush fell to 22-5-1.
Other winners on the main card were welterweight Mike Malott (submission), featherweight Dan Ige (unanimous decision) and middleweight Marc-Andre Barriault (unanimous decision).
