UFC 269 had two title fights on the main card, and each produced shocking results. Heading into Saturday, many felt that Poirier was destined to finally claim UFC gold after back to back wins over Conor McGregor, while Nunes would once again roll over her competition inside the octagon. Neither theory would materialize when all was said and done.
Charles Oliveira defended his UFC Lightweight championship belt by submitting Poirier via rear-naked-choke just over a minute into the third round. Oliveira weathered an early storm from Poirier in the first before taking Dustin to the mat in the 2nd and raining down heavy elbows from top position. In the 3rd it was evident that Poirier had sustained some serious damage in the round prior and it was only a matter of time before Oliveira finished him to retain his title.
With the win Oliveira moves to 32-8-1 and extends his UFC win streak to 10 straight bouts. Making his debut in 2010, the Brazilian would go on to become one of only 9 fighters in UFC history to earn 20 wins with the organization, while also setting the record for most finishes (18) and submissions (15) as well. Following the fight Dana White all but confirmed that Justin Gaethje would be Oliveira’s next opponent, stating that it “makes sense” to pit the two against one another.
In the Women’s Bantamweight title fight, Julianna Pena shocked the world by submitting Amanda Nunes to end one of the most dominant runs in mixed martial arts history. Similar to Oliveira, Pena weathered an early barrage of fists from Nunes before wobbling the champion in the 2nd round and finishing the fight on the ground. Once again, the rear-naked-choke claimed another victim Saturday as Pena turned the tables on her opponent three and a half minutes into the 2nd frame.
Coming into their fight, Nunes was riding a 12 fight winning streak and hadn’t lost since 2014. A -900 favourite at many sportsbooks to retain her title, Nunes looked to be in control in the early stages of the fight, but got picked apart in the 2nd round by a much more accurate Pena. The challenger would finish the fight with a 90-58 strike advantage, with 74 significant strikes being landed in the 2nd round alone.
Pena’s +625 odds were the 4th largest upset in UFC betting history as the Spokane native backed up what she said she would do for months. Perhaps now people will listen when she says she has the ability to do anything she wants in MMA.
Not only was UFC 269 thoroughly entertaining to watch, but it appears to have been a commercial success as well. While final PPV numbers have yet to be released, Dana White did say in his post fight presser that 269 was the “biggest non-Conor McGregor gate” in the history of the organization. Saturday was the last numbered card of 2021, with UFC 270 slated for January 22nd, 2022. Ngannou vs. Gane is set to go down at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner