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Irene Aldana: ‘The Goal Is Still The Same’
Perennial Contender Talks Title Ambitions Ahead Of Critical Clash at Riyadh Season Noche UFC
Last spring, Irene Aldana was in the late stages of a training camp for her rematch with Raquel Pennington when she was called and offered the opportunity to replace Julianna Peña and challenge for the women’s bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes in the main event of UFC 289 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
She understandably jumped at the opportunity, shifted her preparations as best as possible, and said all the right things in the preamble to sharing the Octagon with the greatest female fighter of all time. But when June 10 rolled around and she stood inside the cage at Rogers Arena, “The Lioness” steely eyed across from her, Aldana froze.
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“For that title shot, I faced a lot of adversity,” began Aldana, reflecting on the bout with Nunes during Riyadh Season Noche UFC Media Day ahead of her fight with Norma Dumont this weekend at The Sphere. “I was injured, I couldn’t prepare myself for too long — I only had four weeks to prepare for a title (fight); that’s not too much. I was already training for a fight, but it’s not the same to train for Amanda, for a title.
“I took the chance, I took the opportunity, and I’m proud of that,” added the perennial contender. “I’m obviously not proud of the performance. I hate that fight, but that motivated me for bouncing back; to get back to the gym, get better, and focus on the goal, which is still to get the title.”
After getting beaten by Nunes in what turned out to be her farewell fight, Aldana took a few months before returning to action, finally stepping back into the fray on the final card of the year at UFC 296 in a critical matchup with Brazilian Karol Rosa.
While it was a very much a bout where Rosa needed to show whether she could beat a top tier competitor in order to advance in the rankings, it was also a chance to see what type of “title fight hangover” there was for Aldana. She’d worked so hard to put herself into the championship mix, garnered the opportunity to challenge for championship gold, and then failed to deliver in the moment, landing on the business end of one of the more lopsided decisions in recent title fight history.
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Through the first round, it looked like Aldana was still stuck in first gear as she was for the entirety of the bout with Nunes, as Rosa targeted her lead leg early and often, leaving the recent title challenger bruised and hobbling when the horn sounded to signal the end of the frame. Officially, Aldana was out-struck 45-30 in the first, with Rosa landing at a 50-percent clip and connecting with 32 leg kicks.
Rosa continued the focused attacks in the second and third rounds, but Aldana heeded the direction of her corner and ramped up her own aggressiveness, throwing more and landing more over each of the next two frames to work her way back into a fight that seemed to have gotten away from her after the opening five minutes.
When the duo reconvened in the center of the Octagon following the contest, both were battered and bloodied, Aldana having worked all the way back to finish the bout in complete control. As Bruce Buffer read the scores, all three officials had seen things the same way, awarding Aldana the unanimous decision win with scores of 29-28 across the board.
After entering the fight looking a little shell-shocked, the 36-year-old had proven she was still a force in the division, and that no one could ever question her heart and willingness to gut things out again.
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This weekend in Las Vegas, Aldana gets the opportunity to compete alongside her teammates Alexa Grasso and Diego Lopes as part of Riyadh Season Noche UFC, the promotion’s annual event built around Mexican Independence Day.
“I think it’s gonna fun to be there to see everybody with Mexican flags, cheering at us, screaming ‘Mexico!’” said Aldana, beaming at the thought of walking into the raucous Sphere on Saturday after having been unable to take part in last year’s inaugural Noche UFC event. “It fills my heart and feels like a plus to be there. It motivates me a lot and I think it’s gonna be a great Mexican party.
“Alexa and Diego being my most important training partners, being able to share this with them is beautiful,” added the Lobo Gym representative, who will look to set the tone for the team for the evening with a win over Dumont before Lopes squares off with Brian Ortega and Grasso shares the Octagon with Valentina Shevchenko for the third time in the co-main event. “It feels nice, it feels comfortable; it feels like another day in the gym.”
Being relaxed in the days leading up to fight night is important, but Aldana will need to be dialed in from the jump on Saturday night, as Dumont touches down on a four-fight winning streak, having earned wins in seven of her last eight UFC appearances.
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Though she has bounced around between divisions, the Brazilian Sanda practitioner returned to the 135-pound weight class earlier this year with a unanimous decision win over former featherweight champ and bantamweight title challenger Germaine de Randamie, proving her mettle by rallying in the final round to swing the fight in her favor.
“She’s a great fighter,” Aldana said of Dumont, who also holds victories over Felicia Spencer, Aspen Ladd, and Rosa. “She’s a warrior, she’s aggressive, she’s obviously motivated to be here and keep climbing the rankings.
Irene Aldana Fight Week Interview | UFC 306
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Irene Aldana Fight Week Interview | UFC 306
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“This is an opportunity for her, but obviously an opportunity for me too because I’m trying to get another title shot.”
Currently stationed at No. 5 in the divisional rankings, Aldana is in a unique position in the championship chase, with her flat effort last summer in Vancouver working against her, but her overall success and connectivity to the two women slated to battle for the title next month keeping her very much in the mix.
“I definitely feel I deserve a second chance,” she said when asked about her championship ambitions. “I was supposed to fight Raquel before the title (fight, and) I replaced Julianna when she was supposed to fight Amanda, and I think I really deserve a title shot. It’s my job to prove that I deserve a title shot on Saturday night, and that’s what I’ll do.”
UFC 306: O'Malley vs Dvalishvili took place live from Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 14, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
