"I'm going to get a ticket now" - Fans seemingly celebrate Irene Aldana replacing Julianna Pena against Amanda Nunes at UFC 289

It was recently reported that Irene Aldana will face Amanda Nunes at UFC 289 for the women's bantamweight title, replacing Julianna Pena after 'The Venezuelan Vixen' was forced to pull out due to injury.

While a rubber match between Nunes and Pena certainly appealed to some fans, many are seemingly happy about Aldana getting a shot at the title instead.

Considering her impressive back-to-back knockout victories, fans flocked to the comment section of a hilarious tweet by @MacMallyMMA to express their approval for the new title fight matchup.

One previously uncertain fan claimed they'd buy a ticket for the event now, stating:

"I was in the fence about going but I'm going to get a ticket now lol."

Another fan wrote:

"Better fight."

One user revealed:

"I usually take a smoke break when there are two women fighting on a UFC card. There are a few exceptions, of course."

Another user praised Aldana and claimed:

"This was the fight I was hoping for in the first place. No disrespect to Pena, but the second fight wasn't close and Aldana has some great hands."

One fan wrote:

"That fight that should have been in the first place.."

One user opined:

"I think there's a Mexican propaganda coming...."

Check out some more reactions below:

---

UFC 289: Irene Aldana replaces Julianna Pena to challenge Amanda Nunes for the women's bantamweight title

Dana White recently announced that Amanda Nunes will face Irene Aldana instead of Julianna Pena for her next title defense at UFC 289. 'The Venezuelan Vixen' was forced to pull out of her trilogy fight against Nunes after suffering broken ribs.

In their first meeting, Pena unexpectedly beat Nunes via submission at UFC 269 to become champion. However, 'The Lioness' redeemed her loss with a dominant performance over five rounds at UFC 277 to win her title back via unanimous decision.

While their rubber match was in the works, many fans believed Irene Aldana had done enough to be granted a title shot and give Amanda Nunes a fresh challenge. Before her shock loss to Pena at UFC 269, Nunes successfully defended her title five consecutive times.

Meanwhile, the Mexican is on an impressive two-fight winning streak and has gotten her hand raised in four of her past five outings. If she beats 'The Lioness' on June 10, Aldana will become the fourth Mexican fighter to currently hold a UFC championship belt.

Irene Aldana was previously booked for a rematch against Raquel Pennington at UFC Vegas 73 on May 20 and it is unclear whether Pennington will face a new opponent.