Preview: UFC 289 ‘Nunes vs. Aldana’

Featherweights

#13 FW | Dan Ige (16-6, 8-5 UFC) vs. Nate Landwehr (17-4, 4-2 UFC)

ODDS: Ige (-250), Landwehr (+210)

This looks poised to be a nice bounce-back year for Ige. Expectations were not high for Ige ahead of a late-notice debut in 2018, but after losing a game effort to Julio Arce, the Hawaiian went on a sudden run up the featherweight ladder with six straight wins on the back of a well-rounded pressure game. That has been enough to earn Ige a lot of high-profile spots over the last three years, though the vast majority of those have mostly served to establish his ceiling. Ige is ridiculously tough and possesses both a solid wrestling game and some impressive boxing, but he is not much of a range fighter and does not have elite-level athleticism, so clear Top 10 fighters like Calvin Kattar, Chan Sung Jung, Josh Emmett and Movsar Evloev were able to navigate some tough fights to walk away with clear decision wins, even as the Hawaiian has continued to improve every time out. That made Ige’s January win over Damon Jackson, much like a quick victory over Gavin Tucker in between the Kattar and Jung fights, a reminder of just how good he can be. Jackson is a scrappy veteran fighter who had put together a surprising amount of momentum over the last few years, but Ige managed to consistently land some big power and put together a one-sided performance before closing the show in the second round. Ige finds himself in a similar spot against Landwehr, another opponent who has put together a strong resume through sheer grit and determination, establishing himself as a must-watch fighter in the process. Despite being a Tennessee native, “The Train” made his name in Russia as a fighter who could get outwrestled and still stay game for a huge comeback, leading to some hope that Landwehr could establish himself stateside as one of the most exciting men in the featherweight division. Early returns were not great, as two of Landwehr’s first three UFC fights saw him get nuked on the feet in short order by Herbert Burns and Julian Erosa. Fortunately, Landwehr’s relentlessness has paid off in the years since, with wins over Ludovit Klein, David Onama and Austin Lingo. All were various levels of entertaining wars that have made him a fan favorite and earned him this shot. This pairing should not damage Landwehr’s reputation for violence, but this does seem like a losing battle where Ige should be able to re-establish himself once again. Landwehr is going to meet Ige head-on, which should allow the Hawaiian to fire away with all sorts of big offense—something “50K” also seems more than capable of doing for 15 minutes without coming out the worse for wear. A three-round scrap would be nice, but the pick is Ige via first-round knockout.

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Nunes vs. Aldana
Dariush vs. Oliveira
Malott vs. Fugitt
Ige vs. Landwehr
Barriault vs. Anders
The Prelims