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UFC Vegas 89 is set to take place this weekend on March 23, 2024, at the promotion's Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada. The main card will be headlined by a women's flyweight bout between Amanda Ribas and former two-time women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.
The event, also known as UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas, will mark a return to headlining for Namajunas for the first time since 2019.
Heavyweight brothers Junior and Justin Tafa continued their streak of replacing each other as the formerly replaced Justin will now slot in for Junior against Karl Williams. Another notable name on the card is Mohammed Usman, brother of Kamaru Usman, who will take on Mick Parkin in his fourth fight in the UFC.
Two featherweight fights will feature on the card with Billy Quarantillo taking on Youssef Zalal and Fernando Padilla going up against Luis Pajuelo.
The UFC Vegas 89 main card will kick off at 10 pm Eastern Time or 2 am United Kingdom time while the preliminary card will begin three hours prior at 7 pm Eastern Time or 11 pm United Kingdom time.
Fans in the United States can watch the event on ESPN with an ESPN+ subscription. Meanwhile, fans in the United Kingdom can catch the action on TNT Sports. However, fans across the globe can tune in to the event with their UFC Fight Pass subscription.
Amanda Ribas discusses UFC Vegas 89 headliner against Rose Namajunas
Amanda Ribas is currently ranked No.8 in the flyweight division and UFC Vegas 89 will mark her first headliner at the promotion. She spoke about the significance of the event in an interview with Stake.com and going up against a legendary opponent like Rose Namajunas.
Ribas said:
"If someone had said to me that in five years time I would be the main event of a card against Rose Namajunas, I would not have believed them and I would have told them to shut up. My manifestations for 2024 are simply being able to do in the octagon what I do in the gym on a daily basis and to be consistent with my skills." [h/t MMA Junkie]
Ribas also outlined her approach to the fight and will be looking to capitalize on Namajunas' two straight losses at UFC Vegas 89.
"I know I need to specialize in my conditioning for this fight because I am prepared to do five rounds, and Rose is really good with her cardio. She is fast, as well. I need to keep my distance and conserve my energy, because I cannot let her get to her maximum velocity or into her flow state. I need to be very careful of that." [h/t MMA Junkie]
