UFC returns to Canada for the first time in nearly four years with stakes in two divisions. Amanda Nunes makes the first defense of her second stint as UFC women's bantamweight champion against Irene Aldana. Plus, Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush collide in a pivotal lightweight tilt. UFC 289 touches down at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Saturday night.
A planned trilogy fight between Nunes and Julianna Pena was derailed after the latter suffered an injury ahead of the event. Enter Aldana, a deserving contender looking to continue a banner year for Mexico in the UFC. A win for Aldana makes her the fourth Mexico-born UFC fighter to win a championship in 2023 and the fourth to become UFC champion, including interim titles.
Nunes and Aldana occupy most of the UFC 289 poster, but the people's main event is Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush. Two submission specialists that have added dynamic striking to their arsenals, expectations are this fight will determine the next challenger for UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Next up on the PPV cycle is headlined by a UFC featherweight championship unification fight at International Fight Week. Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez top the card. Volkanovski returns to his kingdom following a narrow but unsuccessful challenge against lightweight champion Makhachev in February. Rodriguez defeated Josh Emmett to win the interim featherweight title that same evening. The co-main event features UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno as he attempts to avenge prior losses to Alexandre Pantoja.
Take a look below at the current UFC event schedule for 2023. Be sure to check back in on this page when we have more information on upcoming UFC events throughout the year.
Upcoming UFC Schedule
| Event | Date | Main event | Weight class | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFC 289 | June 10 | Amanda Nunes (c) vs. Irene Aldana | Women's bantamweight | Vancouver | ESPN+ PPV |
| UFC Fight Night | June 17 | Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier | Middleweight | Las Vegas | ESPN+ |
| UFC Fight Night | June 24 | Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria | Featherweight | Jacksonville | ESPN+ |
| UFC Fight Night | July 1 | Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov | Middleweight | Las Vegas | ESPN+ |
| UFC 290 | July 8 | Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Yair Rodriguez (ic) | Featherweight title | Las Vegas | ESPN+ PPV |
| UFC Fight Night | July 15 | Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva | Women's bantamweight | Las Vegas | ESPN+ |
| UFC Fight Night | July 22 | Tom Aspinall vs. Marcin Tybura | Heavyweight | London | ESPN+ |
| UFC 291 | July 29 | Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2 | Lightweight | Salt Lake City | ESPN+ PPV |
| UFC Fight Night | Aug. 12 | Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos | Welterweight | Las Vegas | ESPN+ |
| UFC 292 | Aug. 19 | Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Sean O'Malley | Bantamweight | Boston | ESPN+ PPV |
| UFC Fight Night | Sept. 2 | TBD | TBD | Paris, France | ESPN+ |
| UFC 293 | Sept. 9 | TBD | TBD | Sydney, Australia | ESPN+ PPV |
| UFC 294 | Oct. 21 | TBD | TBD | Abu Dhabi | ESPN+ PPV |
