Mixed martial arts fans have plenty to look forward to over the next few months, with the UFC staging two elite level events in June and July.
UFC 289 takes centre stage next month and will be headlined by the women’s bantamweight title clash between Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana.
The top-class action keeps coming in July, with the featherweight title unification bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez topping the card at UFC 290.
Read on as we look at the confirmed bouts on each main card, before assessing the standout fights at UFC 289 and UFC 290.
Upcoming UFC Events in 2023
UFC 289 – June 10 – Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada
- Amanda Nunes vs Irene Aldana
- Charles Oliveira vs Beneil Dariush
- Mike Malott vs Adam Fugitt
- Dan Ige vs Nate Landwehr
- Marc-Andre Barriault vs Eryk Anders
UFC 290 – July 8 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, United States
- Alexander Volkanovski vs Yair Rodriguez
- Brandon Moreno vs Alexandre Pantoja
UFC Title Fights Galore This Summer
UFC 289 in Vancouver is guaranteed to attract a ton of interest on online sportsbooks, with the card packed with some eye-catching match-ups.
The headline bout is the women’s bantamweight clash between Nunes and Aldana, which the bookies think is a foregone conclusion.
The top UFC betting sites rate Nunes as a 2/7 shot to win the fight, while her Mexican opponent is priced at 5/2 to cause an upset.
Nunes will be back in action for the first time in 11 months after reclaiming the title from Julianna Pena at UFC 277.
The two fighters were scheduled to meet for a third time, but Pena sustained an injury which scuppered those particular plans.
Nunes is a worthy favourite to take her professional record to 23-5, but she would be well advised not to underestimate Aldana.
After recording stoppage victories against Yana Kunitskaya and Macy Chiasson in her last two fights, the 35-year-old will be confident of upsetting the odds.
The featherweight title clash between Volkanovski and Rodriguez at UFC 290 should be a classic, with both fighters heading into the fight in a confident mood.
Volkanovski won the featherweight title at UFC 245 in 2019 when he beat Max Holloway by a unanimous decision.
He has made four successful defences of the title since then, before narrowly missing out on winning the lightweight title against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284.
Rodriguez faced Josh Emmett on the same card, and recorded an impressive second-round submission victory to become the interim champion.
The two fighters will now go head-to-head in Las Vegas for the featherweight title and they will likely provide fans with a brutal encounter.
Volkanovski has more experience under his belt, racking up an impressive 25-2 record since joining the professional ranks in 2012.
By contrast, Rodriguez is 15-3 with one no contest in 19 fights. However, his record of 6-1 when fights go the distance make him a dangerous opponent.
Elsewhere on the UFC 290 card, the flyweight rematch between Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja promises to be a cracker.
Pantoja secured a unanimous decision victory over Moreno in May 2018, but has since seen his opponent go on to win, lose and regain the flyweight title.
Moreno was impressive in his most recent outing against Deiveson Figueiredo earlier this year, but will not find things against a fighter desperate to win his first UFC title.
