Tonight at UFC 269, Dustin Poirier will not have to worry about anyone skipping the line. He will have a second chance at undisputed lightweight gold when he challenges Charles Oliveira. Three years ago, however, things were much less certain. So much so that there were even rumblings of Georges St-Pierre himself potentially looking to win a world title in a third division. However, Poirier was having none of it.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AUGUST 6, 2018, 3:54 PM]
Headline: Dustin Poirier Shuts Down Idea of GSP Skipping Lightweight Line
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Dustin Poirier shuts down the thought of Georges St-Pierre getting a title shot before he does.
Poirier is set to do battle with Nate Diaz at UFC 230 on Nov. 3. “The Diamond” is coming off a second-round TKO victory over former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. Poirier has now gone 4-0, 1 NC in his last five outings. Meanwhile, Diaz will be stepping inside the Octagon for the first time since Aug. 2016.
Dustin Poirier Shuts Down GSP
St-Pierre recently expressed his desire to fight the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov will defend his title against McGregor in the main event of UFC 229 on Oct. 6. During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Poirier said St-Pierre will not get a title shot before he does:
“Nah, it’s not happening. Look, after I beat Nate Diaz, I’m fighting for the belt. Or I’m fighting GSP, but he’s not going to get [a title shot] before I do.”
St-Pierre has jumped the line before. Despite having not competed in four years and never fighting at middleweight, St-Pierre challenged Michael Bisping for the 185-pound title at UFC 217. GSP won the bout via submission and vacated his gold the following month.
UFC 230 will feature a middleweight tilt between Jacare Souza and David Branch. Another 185-pound bout is in the works for the card. The UFC is trying to put together Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman II. UFC 230 takes place inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The card doesn’t have a main event yet.
Do you think Dustin Poirier will get his shot if he beats Nate Diaz?
The final UFC 269 betting odds are in for as this event is quickly approaching for the Las Vegas-based promotion.
The event is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, December 11, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena.
The headliner will feature a slugfest with Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier in a lightweight title showdown. Moving things along, Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena will square off in a women’s bantamweight title bout
Rounding out the main card Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio, Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt and Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O’Malley.
According to oddsmakers, Poirier is a -155 favorite over Oliveira, who is a +135 underdog. Other odds for the main card include Pena being a +600 underdog against Nunes, who is a -900 favorite. Here are the full betting odds:
MAIN CARD (PPV, 10 p.m. ET)
Dustin Poirier (-155) vs. Charles Oliveira (+135)
Amanda Nunes (-900) vs. Julianna Pena (+600)
Santiago Ponzinibbio (-125) vs. Geoff Neal (+105)
Cody Garbrandt (-135) vs. Kai Kara-France (+115)
Sean O’Malley (-300) vs. Raulian Paiva (+235)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
Josh Emmett (-165) vs. Dan Ige (+145)
Pedro Munhoz (-120) vs. Dominick Cruz (EVEN)
Augusto Sakai (-110) vs. Tai Tuivasa (-110)
Bruno Silva (-365) vs. Jordan Wright (+280)
Miranda Maverick (-135) vs. Erin Blanchfield (+115)
Andre Muniz (-135) vs. Eryk Anders (+115)
Ryan Hall (-200) vs. Darrick Minner (+170)
Randy Costa (-180) vs. Tony Kelley (+155)
Gillian Robertson (-400) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+300)
There is some documentation to back up Julianna Peña’s claim that Amanda Nunes agreed to fight her after UFC 200.
Julianna Peña’s warpath to a title shot against “The Lionness” Amanda Nunes will culminate in the battle tonight at UFC 269. One of Pena’s many claims leading up to the fight is that Nunes was supposed to fight her all the way back in 2016 after Nunes defeated Miesha Tate for the title at UFC 200. As it happens, this claim is backed up with some documentation.
Now that we know @RondaRousey isn't coming back, I would love to, darling.
“Now that we know @RondaRousey isn’t coming back, I would love to, darling,” Nunes posted in a 2016 tweet directed at Peña.
At that moment of time, with the sacred space of Twitter bearing witness, we appeared to have a bout for the UFC female bantamweight title sealed.
However, Nunes would go on to fight Rousey after all at UFC 207 in one-sided beatdown while Peña lost to Shevchenko (and her title shot hopes) one month later.
At the time Nunes sent the above tweet in 2016, Peña was skeptical even then. She claimed that Nunes had been ducking her for two years at that point, a claim “The Venezeuan Vixen” would continue repeating in 2021. That means Peña has been accusing Nunes of ducking her for a total of seven years.
You have ducked me for 2 years. I'll believe it when I see you on the otherside of the cage. #NoMoreExcuses#MakeTheCall
“You have ducked me for 2 years. I’ll believe it when I see you on the otherside of the cage.”
Peña will be made into a believer tonight when she finally stands across the cage from Amanda Nunes tonight at UFC 269. Here’s another look at how long Peña has been wanting to fight Nunes in a video shared on the ESPN MMA Twitter page Friday night.
Julianna Peña has been calling Amanda Nunes out since UFC 200.
UFC 269 went down tonight (Sat. December 11, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena and we have the results. The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion compiled an excellent card for fight fans to enjoy.
It’s headlined by a meeting between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier in a lightweight title bout.
The co-headliner saw Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña in a women’s bantamweight title bout. Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio is in a welterweight fight, Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt in a flyweight bout, and Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O’Malley in a bantamweight bout finished out the main card.
O’Malley was using his jabs nicely in the early going. They had a feeling out process and started to trade leg kicks. O’Malley had the range down. O’Malley briefly dropped him with a right hand then dropped him twice after that with combos until the referee called it off.
Kai dropped him with a big right hand and Cody got back up before being dropped again. Cody went for a takedown, but couldn’t keep him down. Cody was circling away to try to recover. Kai stunned him up against the fence then put him down and the referee stepped in.
After having a feeling out process, they picked up the pace. Santiago was throwing various combos while Neal was mixing things up. Ponzinibbio did land a nice punch at the end of the first round. Ponzinibbio came out strong in the second round with his punches. In the middle of the round, Ponzinibbio got a double leg takedown. Neal got back to his feet quickly after. The third round saw Neal clip him with a right hook. Neal wobbled him with a combo, but Ponzinibbio fired back. The judges gave the win to Neal by split decision.
Nunes dropped her early in the first round with a leg kick. Nunes then dropped her with a jab. Nunes got on top and rained down some shots. Peña went for a takedown of her own when she got up. Nunes took her down and got her back. Peña scrambled and went for a kimura, but the round ended.
In the second round, Peña came out swinging and even rocked her. They had a wild exchange about a minute in. Nunes was loading up on her shots and missing. While Peña was landing shots, she was eating them. Peña continued to land and rock Nunes. Peña put her up against the fence and got a takedown then took her back before locking in the rear-naked choke for the win!
Poirier stunned him in the first few seconds of the round. They did some clinch striking. Charles with a knee strike to the body. Charles clinched with him up against the fence and got a brief takedown, but Poirier scrambled to his feet. Dustin rocked him up against the fence with a hook, but Charles kept coming forward. Dustin dropped him with a right punch and got on top briefly before getting back to his feet.
In the second round, Charles worked for a takedown early in the round, but Poirier got up. Poirier shrugged him off and Charles went for an armbar, but Poirier rolled through and Charles got back on top. Charles landed some big elbow shots. In the third round, Charles clinched with him before getting his back and locking in a standing rear-naked choke for the win!
We’ve got a full, comprhensive breakdown of all the storylines headed into tomorrow night’s UFC 269 event along with the final face-offs.
UFC 269 goes down tomorrow night, December 11, 2021, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The action kicks off at 6:00 PM ET on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass, followed by the ESPN2 prelims at 8:00 PM. The main card begins at 10:00 PM ET on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
We’ve got a preview of the entire card and the storylines attached to each fight below capped off with the face-offs. And be sure to check out our staff predictions for the event right here!
Gillian Robertson vs. Priscilla Cachoeira
Gillian Robertson went 2-0 last year, including an impressive submission victory over Cortney Casey. She is currently 0-2 in 2021, most recently losing to Miranda Maverick via unanimous decision.
Priscilla Cachoeira’s sole fight last year only lasted seconds, with this “Zombie” getting the kill with ease in her 40-second Performance of the Night win against Shana Dobson.
In 2021, Cachoeira advanced to the first winning streak of her UFC career when she defeated Gina Mazany in another TKO victory. Since then, Cachoeira has had some turmoil in her personal life, but this weekend she will need to keep pushing forward as she always does, with nothing else on her mind but getting the kill.
Check out the face-off between these two flyweights below!
The Savage takes on Zombie Girl to kick off #UFC269 tomorrow!
27-year-old Randy Costa has not gone to the judges’ scorecard once in his career. 6-2 as a professional and 2-2 in the UFC, all six of Costa’s wins are by knockout, including this Performance of the Night-winning KO of Journey Newson last year at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley.
Costa also stunned quite a few people with his TKO victory over Boston Salmon in 2019. Most recently, Costa lost to hot bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez in July.
Tony Kelley will be competing in the UFC for the third time this year in this bout. He’ll be entering with a 1-1 record and is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Ali AlQaisi in October. At Legacy FC 57 in 2019, Kelley took part in what some called one of the best fights of MMA in 2016.
You can check out the face-off below to get you ready for tomorrow’s action!
If either of these two submission experts doze at the wheel, even for an instant, they may lose a limb after the smallest accident.
Ryan Hall is a third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with arguably the biggest feather in his submission cap coming when he was able to submit fellow black belt BJ Penn in 2018 with a flawlessly executed heel hook. Hall has a UFC record of 4-1 and is coming off his first loss to the undefeated Ilia Topuria via first-round KO.
Darrick Minner has three times as many pro-MMA fights as Hall, with a record of 26-12. Minner’s game plan every time appears to be the same: score the submission. A nearly unimaginable 22 of Minner’s 26 wins have come by submission. You can check out some of his past handiwork here along with another potential highlight tomorrow.
Here’s the final face-off between these two high-level grapplers below.
In July, Miranda Maverick’s five-fight winning streak was snapped by one of the most controversial decisions of the year, arguably in recent history, when Maycee Barber was awarded the split-decision victory over her at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw. The 24-year-old has all the time in the world to put that loss behind her, and she has already done so as she prepares to tackle her next task in another youthful prospect in Erin Blanchfield.
22-year-old prospect Erin Blanchfield will enter UFC 269 tomorrow with a record of 7-1. Her only loss as a professional was to another UFC prospect, Tracy Cortez, when Blanchfield was only 19 years old. Since then, she has gone on a four-fight winning streak, including in her UFC debut in September over Sarah Alpar. You can see why she’s so highly touted right here in this background package put together by the UFC, which includes some of her best highlights.
And you can also see the face-offs between these two upstarts down below!
It’s been five years since André Muniz suffered a loss. Since then, he has won seven consecutive fights, including a 3-0 UFC run thus far. Most recently Muniz defeated Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in Souza’s final career bout. This made for back-to-back submission victories over elite grapplers for Muniz, with the prior coming over Bartosz Fabiński last year. 14 of Muniz’s 21 career wins have come by way of submission.
Eryk Anders has rebounded from the disappointment of his illegal knee to Darren Stewart with a legitimate victory over Stewart to redeem himself. Not counting the Stewart No-Contest, Anders has won three of his last four bouts. Anders has done fairly well against high-level grapplers in the past. He defeated jiu-jitsu black belts Gerald Meerschaert and Vinicius Moreira in 2019. We’ll see if he has his hand raised tomorrow against proven submission artist André Muniz.
You can view the face-off between these two middleweights below.
There are some interesting numbers attached to this middleweight bout. For starters, Jordan Wright has 13 fights on his official record (excluding no-contests). All 13 fights ended in a finish. Oh, and by the way, Wright is responsible for 12 of those 13 finishes.
Meanwhile, Bruno Silva has not gone to a decision since 2016. During his current six-fight winning streak, he has put away each of his opponents via KO/TKO. So if you want a fight to bet the under, this might be it.
Here’s the face-off between these two middleweights.
Finishers in the MW division battle it out tomorrow night 🤜🤛
This fight presents an opportunity for Tai Tuivasa to return to the heavyweight rankings when he takes on #11-ranked Augusto Sakai. Tuivasa and Sakai have different wavelengths of momentum right now, with Sakai losing back-to-back fights while Tuivasa has won three straight, matching the winning streak he had when he first debuted in the promotion with the Australian wind on his back.
Despite his consecutive losses to Alistair Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, the fact remains that Sakai has wins over names like Marcin Tybura, Andrei Arlovski, and Blagoy Ivanov. Meanwhile, ever since a proposed secret, Fight Club-esque challenge to old nemesis Justin Willis got him into AKA, Tuivasa has been nothing but money, cashing in on wins over Stefan Struve, Harry Hunsucker, and Greg Hardy, each by KO/TKO.
Peep out the heavyweight face-off down below.
Heavy hitters look to make a quick night in the office tomorrow 👀
To some, the lead story in this fight would be the commentary of Daniel Cormier after much was made of Dominick Cruz’s criticism from earlier this week. Cormier and Cruz have since publicly hashed it out (sort of), so now fans, Cormier, and Cruz can all focus on the fight!
That fight will come against #8-ranked Pedro Munhoz, who is on a bit of a skid as of late. He has lost three of his last four fights, with the lone win in that stretch coming against Jimmie Rivera, who is no longer in the UFC. Munhoz stated earlier this year that he’s considering joining another UFC 269 competitor, Cody Garbrandt, down at flyweight. A loss here could finalize that career decision.
Following his loss to The Korean Zombie (Chan Sung Jung) this past summer, Dan Ige released a lengthy statement that deeply reflected on the loss. In the same statement, he made the vow to get better. One fight prior to losing to Jung, Ige earned a Performance of the Night bonus for his KO of Gavin Tucker.
The rise of Dan Ige since UFC 2017 has been nothing short of impressive, with the 30-year-old once stringing together six straight wins. At UFC 269, he’ll attempt to start a new one from scratch but will have to do so against Josh Emmett, who is coming fresh off a Fight of the Night scrap against Shane Burgos last June.
Check out the face-offs between these two ranked featherweights below!
Non-stop action is slated in our #UFC269 featured prelim 👊
Cody Garbrandt hasn’t been having very champion-like ever since winning the bantamweight title in 2016. He went on to lose four of his next five fights, three of which coming by KO/TKO. Garbrandt doesn’t need me or anyone else to point out these struggles. That is why he decided to make a change and move down to flyweight.
Still, ready or not, Kai Kara-France has warned the public about putting their money down on the former champion. Indeed, the New Zealender expects to win a second straight fight to build off his Performance of the Night victory over Rogério Bontorin at UFC 259.
Check out the spirited face-off between these two athletes below.
An entertaining clash at flyweight is in store for us tomorrow 🍿👀
Immediately after Santiago Ponzinibbio’s seven-fight winning streak was snapped earlier this year, the Argentenian let it be known that he would remain undeterred on his quest for UFC welterweight gold. He let his actions get that point across very well in his Fight of the Night win over Miguel Baeza in June.
He now sets his sights on Geoff Neal, someone with his back against the wall after two consecutive losses. Neal has already promised fireworks in this welterweight banger, and fans should fully expect just that from these two heavy hitters.
Neal is coming off a DWI arrest that took place mere weeks ago. If he is to get his career back in order, he will need to remain focused on the task at hand from bell to bell.
You can check out the face-off between Neal and Ponzinibbio below.
Julianna Peña would be the first to tell you that this is a fight that has been over five years in the making. Some of the bumps along the way were due to some setbacks on Peña’s end as Nunes continued to build GOAT status fight after the fight. But other hiccups in finalizing this fight, according to lead investigator Julianna Peña, is due to Nunes questionably delaying the fight.
Tomorrow night, the two will finally be locked in the cage together. The expectation from most seems to be that Peña will be just another victimized name on Nunes’ GOAT résumé. MMA legend Chael Sonnen believes Peña more than has what it takes to get the victory and that, for some reason, fans are blind to it. Peña herself has echoed these remarks in stating that people are sleeping on her ahead of this bantamweight title fight.
Whatever happens, Dustin Poirier predicts that fans are in for a treat because both men will be in there going for the finish from the bell to bell. And when all is said and done, Poirier hopes to join the ranks of other inspirational UFC champions that have come before him, including Charles Oliveira.
Check out the final face-off of the evening down below featuring the UFC 269 headliners along with their closing remarks.
To view the full UFC 269 Ceremonial Weigh-in, you can do so right here. And please be sure to keep it locked on MMANews.com tomorrow for full, live coverage of UFC 269!
Amanda Nunes feels well-prepared for the “Venezuelan Vixen.”
Every fight is a different affair. Amanda Nunes knows this going into UFC 269. So, while Nunes does look back on her past camps and opponents before she faces a new challenger, the American Top Team standout also tweaks everything just enough for the fresh challenges that Julianna Peña brings (h/t Bloody Elbow).
“Julianna is an opponent I’ve known ever since the TUF days, which she won. I really know her style. She’s really close with Miesha Tate and they have the same style of fighting, but I think Julianna is even more of a grinder. We used a little bit of my camp for Tate for this Julianna fight, but with a bit more precision.”
Amanda Nunes Smashes Meisha Tate at UFC 200 Image Credit: Rey Del Rio/Getty Images
Staying Grounded As The Champ-Champ
With wins over the likes of Ronda Rousey, Meisha Tate, Cris Cyborg, and Holly Holm, many consider Nunes the best woman fighter to ever grace the Octagon. But the two-division champ doesn’t let her 12-fight win streak go to her head. “The Lioness” knows every opponent who stands across from her in the cage is hungry and ready to take what’s hers.
“I’m really looking forward to it, but at the same time I’m keeping my feet on the ground. I know everyone who walks into that cage will do their best to win. She has nothing to lose. I’m the champion and she’s going to come at me to take my belt. I just need to be really sharp so I can finish the fight at the right moment.”
Peña earned her shot at the champ after submitting another former title challenger in Sarah McMann at UFC 257. Pena and Nunes were expected to clash at UFC 265, but Nunes tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the bout.
The Saturday will be the Nunes’ first trip back to bantamweight in almost two years. The champ spent 2020 and 2021 thus far, defending her featherweight belt against Megan Anderson and Felicia Spencer.
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier has described which part of his game can also be seen in that of his upcoming opponent and 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira.
Since then, Poirier has been at his best and firmly established himself as one of the greatest lightweights on the planet. After a five-round Fight of the Night win against Dan Hooker, a memorable knockout of Conor McGregor, and a trilogy triumph over the Irishman, the Louisianan has now turned his attention back to title glory.
To achieve it, he’ll have to go through another promotional veteran who boasts a similarly inspirational story in the UFC. After 28 appearances on MMA’s biggest stage, Oliveira had gold wrapped around his waist following an incredible comeback against Michael Chandler earlier this year. He’ll be looking to cement his place on the throne in his first defense this Saturday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXMHJc7hvyY/
Poirier Acknowledges The Threat Of “Do Bronx”
Despite his active nine-fight winning streak, which includes successes against Chandler, Tony Ferguson, and Kevin Lee, and his ability to overcome adversity in his championship-winning performance, many have attempted to discredit Oliveira’s reign.
During an appearance on DC & RC, Poirier acknowledged the wide range of skills Oliveira boasts and the threat he’ll pose on Saturday. “The Diamond” also compared his own tendency to finish fights with Oliveira’s, which has seen the Brazilian record the most submission wins in UFC history.
“He (Oliveira) does a lot of great things. Throws big power shots, he has a good, clean left hook, a good long cross, big knees, good front kicks, and obviously his jiu-jitsu is dangerous everywhere. He does a lot of good things. He’s a very dangerous fighter.
“That’s the thing, we’re both finishers. We’re not going out there trying to jab and win rounds; circle and jab, and win rounds. We’re trying to finish each other. So the fans are in for a treat when it comes to that.”
Whether we witness a shocking finish or a five-round war, Saturday’s main event is sure to thrill for as long as it lasts, and will likely be the icing on top of a spectacular cake that will be UFC 269. The UFC is certainly closing out the year in style.
Are you backing Dustin Poirier to dethrone Charles Oliveira at UFC 269?
Nunes is beginning to run out of potential contenders at both bantamweight and featherweight, and talks of a Shevchenko trilogy have resurfaced. However, White isn’t as interested in a third fight happening between the two top female UFC fighters as most could be led to believe.
“I don’t know if that fight needs to happen,” White said in a recent interview with TSN. “I don’t know. I’ve thought about it a lot. You know they’re both incredible in their weight classes. They already fought twice. Why do it again?”
Image Credit: Dave Mandel of Sherdog.com
Nunes and Shevchenko are arguably the two top female fighters in MMA history and have managed to each dominate their respective weight classes since their two matchups in the Octagon. Shevchenko’s losses to Nunes are the only blemishes she has had during her time in the promotion.
White isn’t completely closed off to the idea of a third fight, but the fans would need to let their voices be heard.
“I would imagine if they wanted to do it bad enough and the fans wanted it bad enough, I would do it but I don’t see much point in it.”
Nunes has had issues in her recent bantamweight title fights cutting down to 135 pounds but is also running out of potential suitors at 145. It’s unclear who could be next for her as she looks to defend each of her titles.
While Shevchenko hasn’t been pleading for another shot at Nunes, she’s remained open to the idea of a trilogy. It’s unclear whether or not Nunes feels the same and whether or not it’ll be enough to warrant a third matchup.
Would you like to see an Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko trilogy?
Rising UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley has laid out a potential path he could take to the title in a stacked 135-pound division.
Whichever path he goes down, it must start this weekend when he enters the Octagon for the third time in 2021. Following a brutal knockout against Thomas Almeida, which served as a rebound from O’Malley’s first professional loss at the hands of Marlon Vera in the previous year, “Sugar” delivered a record-breaking striking masterclass four months later against Kris Moutinho.
O’Malley will look to extend is win streak to three when he faces the formerly-ranked Raulian Paiva in the UFC 269 main card opener on Saturday night. Despite being a sizable underdog, the Brazilian has won his last three contests, and certainly should present a tougher test for O’Malley than his previous two foes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXSOOwss-rV/
O’Malley Thinks He Could Be Fighting For The Title In 4 Fights
Despite still being young and at the start of his career, a large potion of the MMA community continue to criticize O’Malley for the opponents he faces, who have all been unranked thus far. But “Sugar” doesn’t think that’s a line of argument fans and pundits will be able to use for long. That’s because he believes he could be fighting towards the top of the division in the next three to four bouts.
During a recent sit-down interview with Michael Bisping for BT Sport, O’Malley was asked whether he can foresee a certain path to the bantamweight gold. Despite discussing the ever-changing landscape and unpredictability of fighting, the Montana native did lay out one potential route to the title, one that wold have to go through a Brazilian underdog, a rising striking phenom, and a top-five contender.
“I don’t really have a timeframe. I don’t have a specific date that I would like it to happen… Fighting’s the craziest sport in the world. I didn’t plan on breaking my foot against Andre Soukhamthath and being out for as long as I was, I didn’t plan on Chito kicking my nerve and then the fight going that way, so it’s hard for me to plan out what’s happening next. But I wouldn’t be surprised if I go out there, knock Paiva out, if I get the Yanez fight, I go out there and knock Yanez out, that could lead up to a Rob Font fight, knock Rob Font out, that could lead to a title shot, who knows? I don’t know how it’s gonna play out.”
Of course, to put that plan into motion in 2022, O’Malley will have to put on a show against Paiva this weekend. The Brazilian described the 27-year-old as a “clown” at Thursday’s press conference, and fancies his chances of producing an upset on December 11.
Do you think Sean O’Malley can make it to a title shot with wins over Raulian Paiva, Adrian Yanez, and Rob Font?
It takes a unique type of human to be willing to fight in a cage, and BKFC fighter Jordan Nash further proved that at a recent event.
Whenever fans watch a combat sports event, chances are you’ll see something that you haven’t seen before. Injuries happen in this brutal sport from time to time, but rarely to the level that Nash suffered against Noah Cutter at a recent BKFC Fight Night.
Things were going well for Nash early in the fight before Cutter put on the pressure in the later rounds and turned his face into a bloody mess. On top of this, Nash suffered a gruesome eye injury that resulted in a hanging eyelid.
Warning: This photo below is extremely graphic. View with caution.
Jordan Nash’s Injury Showcases Bare Knuckle’s Brutality
BKFC, and bare-knuckle boxing in general, has often been criticized by some of the most prominent personalities in combat sports. This includes UFC commentator Michael Bisping, who referred to it as a “backwards step” in combat sports.
Nash came into the BKFC Fight Night event off of his first win since joining the promotion, as he earned a unanimous decision win over Brandon Allen earlier this year. Before that, he had briefly competed in Combat Night Pro, accumulating a 1-1 professional record in MMA.
As of right now, there is no medical update on Nash as he continues to recover from the nasty injury.
What is your reaction to Jordan Nash’s brutal eye injury?
Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt says he’s ready to “make a splash” in his flyweight debut at UFC 269 this weekend.
In 2016, Garbrandt was 11-0 as a professional, held the 135-pound title after a remarkable performance against Dominick Cruz, and looked set for a long reign on the throne. Fast forward five years and “No Love” finds himself 1-4 in his last five outings and firmly out of contention in a stacked bantamweight division.
With that in mind, the powerhouse is pursuing success in the fresh pastures of the flyweight weight class. He’ll look to show he has the speed to match the 125lbers and the same power as before when he faces Kai Kara-France this weekend at UFC 269.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVG9r7ZP0NB/
Garbrandt Is Ready To Return To “Flow State”
Garbrandt was originally scheduled to move down last year to challenge for the title against former champion and current top contender Deiveson Figueiredo. After COVID-19 led to the bout’s cancelation, Garbrandt had one last hurrah at bantamweight in the form of a main event loss to Rob Font.
Now, the 30-year-old is ready to make an impact in a new environment. During an appearance at UFC 269 media day on Wednesday, Garbrandt discussed his decision to leave his old stomping ground and commit to a flyweight transition. Describing the switch as “inspired,” Garbrandt showed a newfound confidence in his first 125-pound fight week.
“We’ve been going back and forth on this, it’s been on my mind, I’m a doer. When I say I’m gonna do something, I’m gonna do it… It’s one of the best things I’ve done. I actually texted Dana (White) a couple weeks ago and was like, ‘I wish we would’ve done this a while ago…’ I’m inspired. I’m inspired for what’s about to take place on Saturday night. A new division, end of the year, great card, a good opponent, a worthy adversary; I’ve done everything I need to do to collect this win.”
The main discussion ahead of this weekend has surrounded whether or not Garbrandt’s famed speed and power will transition well to flyweight, a division known for fast-paced action. But “No Love” has zero concerns on that matter, and expects to “make a splash” on December 11.
“I feel like this is probably my more natural weight. I feel like a lot of the bantamweights are much larger. And I feel like that skillset, speed, power; I still have that at the division… I think anybody who steps inside that Octagon you have to respect. I just understand what’s gonna happen on Saturday night, and that’s why I’m excited… to pull from the past, I feel like this Saturday night will be a flow-state No Love… I’m here to make a splash in this division. I’m here to be a world champion. I’m here to be the best.”
Despite high-ranked contenders Askar Askarov and Alexandre Pantoja seemingly in line for future title shots, many, including Garbrandt himself, expect the former bantamweight champ to jump straight into the championship picture with a win this weekend. “No Love” even suggested he’d be willing to serve as backup for the trilogy fight between reigning king Brandon Moreno and Figueiredo at UFC 270 next month.
How do you think Cody Garbrandt’s flyweight debut will play out at UFC 269?
UFC women’s bantamweight contender Julianna Peña has provided some context behind her recent record for those who still doubt her credentials ahead of UFC 269.
In this weekend’s co-main event, Peña will be the sixth woman to attempt to put an end to Nunes’ dominant reign over the 135-pound weight class. If she succeeds, she’ll achieve what the likes of Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, and Holly Holm failed to do, and hand the “Lioness” her first loss in over seven years.
Peña Claims She Had Shevchenko “Dead In The Water”
But many believe Peña’s willingness to engage in verbal warfare with Nunes is what landed her this opportunity, especially given her 2-2 record across her last four outings. The #3-ranked bantamweight contender has shut down that idea, and recently provided some context behind her last two defeats.
During an appearance at UFC 269 media day on Wednesday, Peña reminded her doubters that her last two setbacks came against the promotion’s inaugural featherweight titleholder Germaine de Randamie and the reigning flyweight queen Shevchenko, who is widely regarded as one of the most dominant champions in the UFC right now. She also claimed she had both “dead in the water” before making mistakes that led to her downfall in each defeat.
“I mean, if you look back any of my previous fights, I’ve only dropped two fights in the last 10 years, and they were to champions. And I was winning. If you go back and you look back at those fights, I’m literally winning them. I have them dead in the water. I made some amateur mistakes that I have been able to clean up, and I’m ready to execute. And I think that the most important thing is to just go out there, and just do my job, and focus on what I can do, and make sure that I execute.”
While “dead in the water” is perhaps a strong term, there’s is certainly some legitimacy behind her claim. In an effort better than most who have fought Shevchenko in recent years, Peña secured the opening round when they met in 2017 before getting caught in a quick second-frame armbar.
Similarly, “The Venezuelan Vixen” appeared to be pulling away with her 2020 clash against de Randamie in the final round, before again falling into a submission. That time, it was a guillotine that marked the end of the contest.
If she’s to have any chance at victory this weekend, Peña will certainly have to be at the top of her game, avoid making the “amateur mistakes” she admits she did in her previous losses, and hope that Nunes isn’t the same brute she’s been in recent defenses.
Do you believe Julianna Peña has what it takes to dethrone Amanda Nunes at UFC 269?
Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo wasn’t happy when he heard that Dominick Cruz ripped Daniel Cormier’s commentary this week.
Cejudo and Cruz have a bit of history, stemming from their battle at FUC 249. Cejudo earned a second-round TKO win that didn’t come without controversy, as Cruz immediately protested the stoppage and claimed he was still defending himself.
Cruz made headlines earlier this week after he blasted Cormier’s commentary and accused him of “not doing his homework” when it comes to preparing for fights.
Cruz and Cormier have appeared to hash out their apparent differences shortly after the comments, but Cejudo took the chance to mock Cruz for the controversy. This came after Cruz appeared to falsely call Cormier a former Olympic Gold Medalist.
Shut your damn mouth Dominick Snooze 😴
You must've not done your homework when I slept you. Did you forget about my Olympic gold medal then?🥇
“Shut your d**n mouth Dominick Snooze,” Cejudo tweeted. “You must’ve not done your homework when I slept you. Did you forget about my Olympic gold medal then? Even [referee Keith Peterson] can’t save you from your boring a** commentary. There’s a reason you’re on the prelims!”
Henry Cejudo Has Hinted At A UFC Comeback
Cejudo announced his retirement in the Octagon at UFC 249 just minutes after beating Cruz. The former flyweight and bantamweight champion has hinted at a return to MMA in recent months, calling out fighters such as Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling.
Cruz is slated to face Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269, as he looks to continue to push forward towards another potential title shot. If Cejudo returns to the UFC, these two may potentially be on a collision course once again.
What are your thoughts on Dominick Cruz’s comments about Daniel Cormier’s commentary?
The weigh-in results for UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier are complete, and we’ve got you covered with the intel below.
Tomorrow night, UFC 269 takes place from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. On deck for fight fans are not one but two title fights when Charles Oliveira defends his lightweight championship against Dustin Poirier and Amanda Nunes defends her bantamweight title against Julianna Peña.
In addition to that double-header, Cody Garbrandt makes his flyweight debut against Kai Kara-France, ranked welterweights Geoff Neal and Santiago Ponzinibbio go at it, and “Sugar” Sean O’Malley brings the “The Suga Show” to Las Vegas when he battles Raulian Paiva.
You can check out our staff predictions for each of the above main-card bouts right here.
UFC 269 Weigh-In Results
One fight fell through when Matt Schnell was pulled from his flyweight bout against Alex Perez due to a medical issue. In a women’s flyweight bout, Priscila Cachoeira missed the flyweight limit and has been fined 30% of her fight purse as a result, but her bout against Gillian Robertson will proceed as scheduled.
The UFC hosted a live UFC 269 weigh-in show, which you can view right here. And you can catch the full card for UFC 269 as well as all the viewing information below, courtesy of UFC.com.
MAIN CARD (ESPN+ PPV, 10:00 PM ET)
Main Event – Lightweight Title Bout: Charles Oliveira (155) vs Dustin Poirier (154.5)
Co-Main Event – Women’s Bantamweight Title Bout: Amanda Nunes (134.5) vs Julianna Peña(135)
Welterweight Bout: Geoff Neal (170.5) vs Santiago Ponzinibbio (169.5)
Flyweight Bout: Kai Kara-France (125) vs Cody Garbrandt (126)
Bantamweight Bout: Raulian Paiva (135.5) vs Sean O’Malley (135.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, ESPN 2, 10:00 PM)
Featherweight Bout: Josh Emmett (145.5) vs Dan Ige (146)
Bantamweight Bout: Pedro Munhoz (135.5) vs Dominick Cruz (135)
Heavyweight Bout: Augusto Sakai (263.5) vs Tai Tuivasa (264)
Middleweight Bout: Jordan Wright (186) vs Bruno Silva (186)
EARLY PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass, 6:00 PM)
Middleweight Bout: Andre Muniz (185.5) vs Eryk Anders (185.5)
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Miranda Maverick (125) vs Erin Blanchfield (125.5)
Featherweight Bout: Ryan Hall (145.5) vs Darrick Minner (146)
Bantamweight Bout: Randy Costa (134.5) vs Tony Kelley (136)
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Gillian Robertson (125) vs *Priscila Cachoeira (129)
Be sure to keep it locked on MMANews.com tomorrow for full coverage of tomorrow night’s UFC 269 event!
Dana White is defending the pay scale of his UFC fighters.
Dana White is once again having to defend fighter pay. This topic has been at the forefront of many conversations lately. White and the UFC have been accused of not paying the fighters well enough. Many fighters have spoken out about wanting to be paid more or insinuating that boxers are in the higher pay bracket. White stated his case in a recent interview with Yahoo Sports.
“Yeah, definitely. Listen, when you talk about the elite, I’m putting on 44 fights in a year, right? And people are buying these pay-per-views, you know. 13 or 14 a year, watching all the other ones building, whatever. Then, when you look at what most of these guys make, most UFC fighters make more than boxers, okay?” White told Yahoo Sports.
“Most UFC fighters make more than boxers, especially at a lower level. Then, the guys, you know, the Khabibs, the Conors, the Rondas, you know, even the Jon Jones’, these guys make more than most of these guys that are fighting for big title fights. Don’t believe the bull***t. Don’t believe all the stuff you hear. These guys make a lot of money.”
It is commonly the prelim or lesser-known athletes that have been asking for money. It isn’t unusual for a fighter to call out White after a fight for a performance bonus, or cite that they have a very low bank account balance leading up to a fight. However, it is not always the up-and-comers who are unhappy with pay. Jon Jones was pubically asking to be paid what the high-level boxers get paid.
“You have these scumbags out there that know nothing about the business telling all the fighters, ‘Oh you are all being underpaid. You are not being paid enough money. You are not this.’ It goes on every f–king day. They literally know nothing about the business, or the pay, or how any of this st works. It’s all part of the game.”
Mike Brown has confirmed that Colby Covington’s leaked information surrounding the injury that forced Jorge Masvidal out of UFC 269 was correct.
In one of the most highly-anticipated grudge matches available in the UFC right now, Masvidal was set to face #3-ranked welterweight contender Leon Edwards at the final pay-per-view of the year this weekend. The story, which began backstage at a UFC London event in 2019, looked set to culminate on a stacked Las Vegas card.
Prior to the announcement, Covington, off the back of a second championship loss to Kamaru Usman, made his desire to face his former friend and teammate known. Masvidal’s withdrawal certainly provided him the means with which to further attack the Miami native and push for a 2022 clash with the 37-year-old.
Late last month, “Chaos” even claimed to have received leaked details about the injury that saw Masvidal vs. Edwards pulled from the December 11 PPV. After Masvidal suggested there’s no reason for him to discuss his injuries online during an interview with Ariel Helwani, Covington effectively took that decision out of his hands, claiming the BMF titleholder damaged his ribs in training.
Brown Explains Masvidal’s UFC 269 Withdrawal
Now, in an interview with ESPN MMA ahead of American Top Team star Dustin Poirier’s main event fight with Charles Oliveira, Mike Brown has confirmed that Covington’s information was accurate. The renowned coach revealed Masvidal suffered a “pretty tough rib injury” that made it impossible to make the UFC 269 date.
“Jorge Masvidal was training like crazy, man. This guy was back to the laboratory as always, working his ass off, and he was in shape. I feel like we were just starting to begin to peak to the fight a little bit but I don’t know how many weeks we were out. Maybe four weeks out and he got a pretty good cartilage tear. A pretty tough rib injury and I know it was significant where you are not going to be training for like four to six weeks when you have a major tear like that. It was going to be impossible to go through with a fight at that point so we had to cut it.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
Whilst fans have missed out on a bad blood fight between Masvidal and Edwards, for the time being, at least, the door has potentially been opened for “Gamebred” to settle his feud with Covington, perhaps even following a season coaching The Ultimate Fighter.
Would you like to see Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington fight in 2022?
Cody Garbrandt is set to make his UFC flyweight debut and that has rejuvenated him of sorts.
Garbrandt, the former UFC bantamweight champ, has been on a bit of a skid as he’s 1-4 since winning the title, with three of the four losses coming by knockout. In his last fight, he fought Rob Font in a Fight Night main event which the former champ says didn’t motivate him. He also says that made him not train and prepare as the way he should’ve for a fight against a skilled opponent in Font.
“This fight, if you’re comparing it to my last fight, I came here and was like, ‘Yeah, I feel good, I feel ready to go,’ but I didn’t prepare the way that I should’ve prepared, you know, for a five-round fight. And that’s the word that I hate to use is motivated. I was not motivated,” Garbrandt said at media day.
“This fight camp I’ve been inspired. I’ve been inspired this whole entire camp because it’s to do something that a few people have done. Yes, I’ve been a world champion, I’m a former world champion in a previous weight division; that’s a small percentage of humans being able to have that title to their name,” Garbrandt continued. “But even a smaller percentage of going to a different division and being a world champion as well, so I’m inspired by myself, but also a lot of people around me, for what’s about to take place Saturday, and that’s just the start of it.”
At UFC 269, Cody Garbrandt is set to face the sixth-ranked flyweight, Kai Kara-France in a very intriguing matchup. Garbrandt has never been the biggest bantamweight and the flyweight move has always been talked about. If all goes well on Saturday night, the next time he fights could be for the flyweight strap.
Do you think Cody Garbrandt will beat Kai Kara-France at UFC 269?
Amanda Nunes isn’t letting Julianna Peña’s trash talk get to her.
Amanda Nunes is on the top of many people’s “Greatest of all Time” lists. She is the current two-division champ and has beaten some of the best the UFC has ever had to offer. She now is preparing for her sixth bantamweight title defense against Julianna Peña. Peña has been very confident heading into this match up but that doesn’t seem to be phasing Nunes at all.
“She’s delusional,” Nunes told MMA Junkie. “What about her best friend, Miesha Tate? What about Sara McMann? Sara McMann almost beat her. Sara McMann give up in the fight. If she didn’t give up, she would’ve beat Julianna. I beat Sara McMann years ago. I feel like she can talk about whatever she wants. She has to do that to bring all the attention. I’m going to tell her she can have all the attention she wants because Saturday is my night. Nobody is going to take that belt from me.”
Peña is 2-2 in her last four fights, whereas Nunes has won 12 in a row in two different divisions. Nunes believes she has the answers for Peña no matter where the fight goes. Peña has scored only one submission victory since coming to the UFC and has won two fights by TKO in that time.
“She has all the holes, so I can finish her on the floor,” Nunes said. “Germaine (de Randamie) finished her. Germaine is a striker and finished Julianna Pena. My game is above all those girls she fought. I just need a mistake from her on the striking or on the floor.”
Nunes vs. Peña will serve as the co-main event on the stacked UFC 269 card. If Peña can win it will be the first time the bantamweight title has changed hands since 2016. Peña believes she can be the one to finally dethrone “The Lioness”.
Do you think Julianna Peña has what it takes to get past Amanda Nunes and win the belt at UFC 269?
Dana White explains why he feels the odds make sense.
We are one day away from the final UFC PPV of 2021. The main event features Charles Oliveira and challenger, Dustin Poirier, throwing down in a highly-anticipated scrap for the lightweight title.
Currently, oddsmakers slightly favor Poirier to win the main event at -160. This means that a $160 bet on “The Diamond” would net the bettor $100. The champion is an underdog at +140. So, $100 would net the bettor $140 if Oliveira pulls off the upset.
It may seem strange that a champion on a 9-fight win streak is the underdog, but Dana White thinks it makes perfect sense. He explained his reasoning to TSN.
“Yeah, that’s fair. I mean, when you look at Dustin, what he’s done, what he’s accomplished, he’s a bigger guy, I think he has the advantage on his feet. I think if it goes to the ground, obviously, Oliveira has the advantage. I think that’s a pretty good line.”
Charles Oliveira Getty Images
Is The Champ Getting The Respect He Deserves?
Poirier has won seven of his last eight fights. Not only does he have a high winning percentage, but the level of competition he’s beaten is also the who’s who of the division. Victories over Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Eddie Alvarez, and Conor McGregor (twice) are just some names on the murder’s row Poirier has run through en route to this title shot. His lone loss in that time came at the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Oliveira is on a solid streak of his own and earned victories over Kevin Lee, Tony Ferguson, and Michael Chandler during his current run. While Oliveira did have issues in the cage early in his career, “Do Bronx” seems well past them at this point. White knows what Oliveira is capable of and feels that people are sleeping on the Brazilian submission specialist.
“No, he doesn’t get enough credit. And that’s one of the things. With some guys, it takes longer than others. Oliveira’s had a long, hard road. 28 of his 31 wins are by finish. He’s got a 90% finish rate, has the record for most finishes in the UFC, most submission wins in the UFC, most performance of the night bonuses, second-most post-fight bonuses in UFC history. I mean, the guy is an absolute stud. He’s just gotta keep grinding and knocking them down, and eventually, his day will come.”
Do you agree with the UFC 269 betting line for Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier?
Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz believes that in order to reach the top again, he’ll have to battle his own style, which he believes has become the norm in the division since he brought it to the Octagon over a decade ago.
Cruz is widely regarded as one of the greatest 135lbers of all time. Across a near-17-year career as a professional, “The Dominator” has achieved championship glory in both the WEC and the UFC, beaten the likes of Joseph Benavidez, Urijah Faber, Demetrious Johnson, and TJ Dillashaw, and experienced an eight-year unbeaten run that included 13 straight victories.
Despite going through a number of serious injuries and falling to Henry Cejudo last May after returning for the first time in nearly four years, Cruz’s desire to compete and be the best hasn’t faded away.
After re-entering the win column earlier this year with a decision success against Casey Kenney, the 36-year-old will look to climb further back towards the top when he faces fellow veteran Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269 this weekend.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXRDjZLFVlK/
Cruz Believes It’s Easier For Opponents To Prepare For His Style Now
During his prime, Cruz was untouchable. Up until a defeat to the then-undefeated Cody Garbrandt in 2016, nobody had cracked the code on how to defeat the Californian since 2008. Like many, the former two-time UFC titleholder put that down to his unique style.
However, Cruz doesn’t believe his techniques are as tough to deal with and as rare as they used to be. During an interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, “The Dominator” suggested his style has become “the norm” for most bantamweights in the current landscape, citing Cory Sandhagen as an example.
With that in mind, the #9-ranked contender believes it’s easier for his opponents to prepare for to face him than it ever used to be.
“You’ve gotta think, when I was champion of this division, everything that I was doing, kinda, even in the WEC, I was the first to bring stance switch, hands-down head movement, just a unique, artistic-looking style that people didn’t necessarily understand. That looks like the norm now in my division… Sandhagen fights that way, Demetrious Johnson fights that way, (Kyoji) Horiguchi fights that way; the list could go on of people that fight with their hands down, switching stance, using footwork, utilizing the entire Octagon to move and not be hit, to hit and not be hit, mixing in takedowns; these are all the norm now.
“So, with that being the norm, I don’t stand out so much. I do, but I don’t. My style is still mine, I’m not exactly like anybody, it’s not a linear, conventional style, of course, but it’s not as… there’s more guys to prepare these people that I’m fighting that can move like me for them than ever before because people have watched me be champion. I didn’t lose for a decade. People watched me… that’s just the normal now.”
Cruz will look to show that nobody puts his style on display quite like him when he enters the Octagon during this Saturday’s preliminary card. But Munhoz, a highly-touted contender who’s never quite reached the heights many tipped him to, will represent a stiff test, and will be hoping to bounce back from a defeat to another legend in José Aldo earlier this year.
Do you think Dominick Cruz will have his hand raised tomorrow night at UFC 269 against Pedro Munhoz?
UFC 269 is now one sleep away, and to get you more hype for the event than you already are, we’ve got some staff predictions ready to serve up for ya!
Perhaps the most stacked card of the year from top to bottom will close out the 2021 PPV docket. UFC 269 will be available exclusively on ESPN+ pay-per-view, with the main card beginning at 10:00 PM ET, the ESPN2 preliminary card kicking off at 8:00 PM, and the early preliminary card starting at 6:15 PM.
The main event will see Charles Oliveira defend his lightweight championship for the first time when he takes on fellow UFC veteran Dustin Poirier. The co-main event will feature the consensus greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time, Amanda Nunes, taking on the fearless Julianna Peña for the women’s bantamweight championship.
Also on the main card, top-15 welterweights Geoff Neal and Santiago Ponzinibbio will go at it, and we’ll also see former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt make his flyweight debut against Kai Kara-France. And kicking off the pay-per-view will be “The Suga Show” when “Sugar” Sean O’Malley faces Raulian Paiva.
UFC 269 Staff Predictions
MMA News is the place to be for all the latest UFC 269 updates. Staff members Clyde Aidoo, Andrew Ravens, Harvey Leonard, and Ed Carbajal have provided predictions for the main card. Here is the full main card lineup for tomorrow night:
Clyde Aidoo: Raulian Paiva is not a “can” by any means. He is on a three-fight winning streak, including a win over another strong prospect in Kyler Phillips. And overall, he is 3-2 in the UFC.
However, even though he isn’t a “can,” he is a great stylistic matchup for O’Malley because he has proven to be very hittable with suspect defense. With O’Malley’s three-inch reach advantage and cleaner boxing skills, this may come down to if Paiva is able to come back like he did against Phillips or if O’Malley will be able to punch ad nauseam as he did against Kris Moutinho. I’m banking on the latter. (Prediction: Sean O’Malley)
Andrew Ravens: Sean is back on track after some setbacks, but now, his next challenge will be a tough one in Paiva, who is riding a three-fight winning streak. Sean has faced and mostly defeated better competition than Paiva, which gives him an edge. I’ll take Sean getting a third-round TKO win. (Prediction: Sean O’Malley)
Harvey Leonard: I see this fight playing out relatively similar to O’Malley’s victory over Moutinho earlier this year, albeit with a better defense on the end of his punches. With his usual high volume, I’d expect “Sugar” to have his way with the Brazilian and use his reach advantage to full effect. While I don’t think it’s as set of a deal as many, and Paiva boasts the counter-striking and jiu-jitsu skills to cause an issue, I believe an upset is unlikely. (Prediction: Sean O’Malley)
Ed Carbajal: This should be an interesting fight. O’Malley’s grappling is underrated because he usually wins by knockout, but we have seen him wear down when fights go long, especially in his last bout against a short-notice Kris Moutinho. Most of Paiva’s wins come by decision, so unless O’Malley’s fame is distracting him from imposing his ectomorph reach on his opponents, it’s hard to pick against him here. (Prediction: Sean O’Malley)
Consensus: 4-0 O’Malley
Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt
Kai Kara-France, Cody Garbrandt
Clyde Aidoo: No one really knows what to expect from Garbrandt at flyweight. Will he revert back to a brawl-heavy approach in an attempt to bully smaller opponents? That may actually be the smart move because Kara-France is one of if not the most technical striker in the division, so making the fight dirty could be the right path for Garbrandt. Because it’ll be difficult for Garbrandt to outpoint France, and France hasn’t been knocked out since 2012.
I think Kara-France is going to be tough enough to get to the scorecards here, and in a close fight where one fighter is technically superior, I’m going to lean in that direction. I think Kara-France will be a watered-down version of Rob Font here against “No Love.” (Prediction: Kai Kara-France)
Andrew Ravens: Garbrandt finds himself in a really interesting spot, especially after the UFC just cut ties with Kevin Lee, who had also been struggling over his last few fights. Kai is someone that Garbrandt should beat, but if Cody doesn’t show up in the right mindset, he could lose and then the possibilities are wide open. Garbrandt takes a calculated approach and gets it done in 15 minutes. (Prediction: Cody Garbrandt)
Harvey Leonard: This should be an entertaining standup battle. While I can picture a Munhoz-esque brawl in the pocket resulting in Kara-France finishing Garbrandt, I don’t think there’s a good enough chance of that happening to go against the former champion. This should be a tough flyweight debut, but one in which “No Love” has the skill and power edge to get the job done and advance towards the title. (Prediction: Cody Garbrandt)
Ed Carbajal: Someone is getting knocked out in this fight. Who that will be? Well, we’ll have to tune in, but looking at recent losses and losses via knockout, Garbrandt seems the most vulnerable. Since both men like to pick up wins by knockout, they could forego that and test their grappling skills against one another, but bonuses don’t usually go to decisive grapplers. (Prediction: Kai Kara-France)
Consensus: 2-2 Pick ’em
Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Geoff Neal, Santiago Ponzinibbio (Image Credits: Chris Unger/Alexandre Schneider/Zuffa LLC)
Clyde Aidoo: This may be the closest fight on the main card, if not the entire event, which is saying a lot given how stacked the lineup is. I think this bout is going to come down to which individual is more likely to make a fight-ending mistake. I think that would be Ponzinibbio. Meanwhile, Neal is slicker on the feet and also tougher to put away.
I don’t see Ponzinibbio prioritizing footwork and elusiveness, which is why one big opening could be costly. I see Neal taking advantage of that or maybe just winning the fight with the heavier firepower and ability to withstand more punishment. (Prediction: Geoff Neal)
Andrew Ravens: These two enter this fight in different positions, as Neal has lost his last two fights while Ponzinibbio had a bump in the road with a loss only to rebound with a decision win. Both are really talented, but with Neal being desperate, I think he pulls out all of the stops to get his hand raised once again and stop the losing streak from continuing with a decision win. (Prediction: Geoff Neal)
Harvey Leonard: This should be yet another intriguing contest on the feet and one that is very tough to call. Despite losing two on the bounce, Neal fell to high-ranked opponents and should be a lot more competitive this weekend. But Ponzinibbio was an elite contender before his layoff, and I’ve not seen anything to suggest that’s changed since he returned. Any fighter can get caught like he did against Jingliang, and to bounce back with a victory over the previously unbeaten Baeza in a FOTY contender was mightily impressive. I expect the Argentine to narrowly outpoint Neal. (Prediction: Santiago Ponzinibbio)
Ed Carbajal: Neal is coming off of two losses and if the news of his November legal troubles is an indicator of his focus, fans will know for sure when he faces Ponzinibbio. Ponzinibbio coming off of a win likely wants to keep that going and will look to test Neal’s resolve. It will boil down to who wants it more. I’m leaning Ponzinibbio here. (Prediction: Santiago Ponzinibbio)
Consensus: 2-2 Pick ’em
Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña
Amanda Nunes, Julianna Pena
Clyde Aidoo: Julianna Peña is being criminally underlooked in this fight, and it doesn’t make any sense. On paper, Amanda Nunes has been unstoppable ever since winning the bantamweight title at UFC 200 five years ago. Meanwhile, Peña is only 2-2 in her last four fights.
However, what the paper doesn’t tell you is that styles make fights. Peña is arguably the best wrestler in the division; has never been dropped, broken, or dominated; and most importantly, she gets better as fights progress while Nunes has struggled later in fights in the past. Nunes may very well be the most dangerous first-round fighter in the UFC, but if Peña can weather the storm, which I believe she can, then I see her pulling a Cat Zingano and getting the better of Nunes on the mat. (Prediction: Julianna Peña)
Andrew Ravens: Another title defense for Nunes, and it comes against yet another worthy challenger. Peña is one of the best in the division but doesn’t have a real chance against the champion. Nunes is on a different level from anyone else, and while Peña could shock the world on Saturday night, I, like the rest of the people interested in this fight, don’t see it happening. So I have Nunes going the distance to get the decision win. (Prediction: Amanda Nunes)
Harvey Leonard: While Nunes is still dominating and defending her titles, there’s no logic or sound reasoning to a prediction against her, especially when it’s in favor of a contender who’s 2-2 in her last four outings and who’d likely not have the opportunity had she not brought some trash talk to the table. Is Peña more capable of an upset than Spencer and Anderson were? Perhaps. Is she massively better to the point where can spring an upset? Almost certainly not. (Prediction: Amanda Nunes)
Ed Carbajal: It’s hard to pick against Nunes, who has been so dominant at this point in her career. Still, Peña seems hungry enough to give Nunes a challenge. Details of Nunes positive COVID test from the original booking begs the question of how sick was she? And was it bad enough to affect her preparation? Chances are, she’s probably fine and ready to defend at UFC 269. (Prediction: Amanda Nunes)
Consensus: 3-1 Nunes
Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira
Clyde Aidoo: Whenever you’re dealing with a submission ace like Charles Oliveira, there is never any real comfort level to pick against him, especially as his striking continues to catch up to his grappling skills year by year, fight by fight.
Nevertheless, I think Poirier has just a little bit more tools in the toolbox and that, more importantly, his fight IQ has fully caught up to his physical gifts to create a more consistent, cage-aware Poirier. No longer the overzealous fighter he was in his past, I think the combination of fight IQ and true grit will truly see Poirier get paid in full to close out UFC’s 2021 PPV year. (Prediction: Dustin Poirier)
Andrew Ravens: Poirier is one of the best fighters in the division, but I think part of the reason that he is being so hyped up and even has the oddsmakers backing him is due to him beating the biggest star in MMA, Conor McGregor, in back-to-back fights. McGregor isn’t the best fighter in the division, so that needs to be factored in.
Whatever Oliveira has done to change his style and go on such an impressive winning streak is what people should focus on. I have Oliveira getting it done by decision to retain. (Prediction: Charles Oliveira)
Harvey Leonard: I firmly believe Oliveira is being massively and unfairly underrated heading into this fight. However, I still believe he may struggle to keep hold of his title this weekend. While ‘Do Bronx’ showed the grit and toughness that many doubted he had to come back against Chandler, I’m not sure a finisher like Poirier will give him the chance to do so.
I find it difficult to believe “The Diamond,” with his pressure and volume, won’t find a way to hurt the champion at some point. When that happens, I think he’ll get the job done. (Prediction: Dustin Poirier)
Ed Carbajal: Both fighters are in their relative prime and both are riding win streaks against some pretty well-established fighters. Still, this might be a battle that is decided by durability. Poirier may hold more losses than Oliviera, but his are not as finish-heavy as Olivera’s are. By that, I mean Oliveira has been finished more than Poirier. Four of his eight losses came by way of knockout, something Poirier is good at. (Prediction: Dustin Poirier)
Consensus: 3-1 Poirier
That’ll do it for our UFC 269 staff picks! What do you think? Do your picks look similar? Let us know in the comments section! Also, you can check out the UFC 269 undercard below.
UFC 269 takes place this Saturday, December 11, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, Charles Oliveira will defend the lightweight championship against Dustin Poirier. The co-main event will see the GOAT, Amanda Nunes, taking on the confident Julianna Peña.
Also going down on the main card will be top-15 welterweights Geoff Neal (#12) and Santiago Ponzinibbio (#14) battling it out, as well as former UFC bantamweight champion Cody “No Love” Garbrandt facing Kai Kara France. And the main card will kick off with “The Suga Show” when “Sugar” Sean O’Malley faces Raulian Paiva.
Each of the above fighters was present during Thursday’s pre-fight press conference. Here were some of the most memorable moments and exchanges from the event.
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier is “90% sure” he’ll fight at welterweight in the UFC before he retires or leaves the promotion.
Having arrived on MMA’s biggest stage as a featherweight and fought there until 2015, Poirier has found immense success since his move up to 155 pounds. In the near-seven years since, “The Diamond” has gone 12-2 (1 NC). After racking up a trio of consecutive wins against Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, and Eddie Alvarez, Poirier had his first shot at gold in the former of an interim title clash against Max Holloway.
Following a victory over “Blessed,” Poirier fell short of becoming undisputed champ when he faced the undefeated great Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019. But since the crushing defeat, the Louisianan has fought his way back to the top in mightily impressive fashion.
Following a Fight of the Night decision triumph over Dan Hooker last summer, Poirier turned the tables on his rivalry with Conor McGregor, defeating the Irishman twice in 2021 to flip the score from 0-1 to 2-1.
After a lucrative year, Poirier will look to close it out by securing his place on the lightweight throne this weekend. To do so, he’ll have to get past reigning titleholder Charles Oliveira.
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Poirier Sees A Future At 170 Pounds
Despite undoubtedly being at the top of his game as a lightweight, talk of a possible move up to the welterweight division has long existed, largely due to his very public feud with ex-teammate Colby Covington, who has challenged for the 170-pound title on two occasions.
During a recent interview with RT Sport MMA, Poirier was asked whether he sees a victory at UFC 269 this weekend leading to an immediate bulk up to welterweight, or if he anticipates having to defend the title first, a scenario which would likely see him run it back with the consensus number one contender Gaethje.
“I don’t like to look that far ahead. Saturday night has to happen first, but right off the bat, I would think I’ll have to defend the belt… I mean, the whole top-10 rankings system in the UFC at lightweight is tough guys. There’s a lot of guys on long win streaks. There’s some up-and-comers, some new guys to the mix. There’s a lot of opponents that could be my potential next opponent, so we’ll see, man. I don’t like to look that far ahead.”
Despite intending to remain at lightweight for the immediate future, Poirier did provide a decent portion of hope to those desiring to see a welterweight Poirier before he departs the sport. According to “The Diamond,” there’s a strong chance he’ll compete as a 170lber before his time in the UFC is up.
“I’m not sure (who I could face at welterweight), we’ll see. Like we just said, getting my hand raised Saturday night, I’m gonna stay here at 55 and fight again. I don’t know when that move to welterweight will be. But I’m pretty sure, I would say I’m 90% sure that before everything is said and done, that I will fight at 170 pounds in the UFC.”
Before thinking too hard about another move up in weight, Poirier will have to get past Oliveira in the UFC 269 main event. While many continue to underestimate “Do Bronx” and discredit his championship status, Poirier isn’t taking him lightly and knows the threat he poses to his title aspirations.
Who would you like to see Dustin Poirier face if he eventually makes the move up to welterweight?
Cody Garbrandt is willing to serve as a backup once his UFC 269 fight is finished.
Cody Garbrandt knows what it is like to have that UFC belt wrapped around his waist. The former bantamweight champion is now looking to add another belt to his mantle. Garbrandt decided to make the drop-down to flyweight and will be making his divisional debut this Saturday at UFC 269. Even though this is s huge moment for him, he can’t help but be ready for another opportunity.
During UFC 269 fight week Garbrandt was asked if he would be willing to be on hand and serve as the backup fighter for the upcoming title bout between champion Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo. This is what he told reporters during a media scrum.
“Oh, 100%. That’s what I told Dana, well not Dana, but I was speaking to some media prior to coming here and I said, ‘Hey, we might, on Monday morning, walk in the office and do some business.’ So if that’s what they want me to do,” Garbrandt explained. “Like I said, first and foremost I’m focused on Kai Kara-France and mauling him on Saturday night, and letting the rest fall into place.”
Garbrandt will be taking on #6-ranked Kai Kara-France at UFC 269. Kara-France has been making his way up the flyweight division since he joined the UFC back in 2018. If Garbrandt can pull out the win against the tough New Zealander, he could find himself in the top five and in a good position to fight for the title very soon. His resume as a former champ will help his case when asking for a title shot and being the backup is a good position to be in.
In the past, Figueiredo has seemed to have trouble making the 125-pound flyweight championship weight limit. If he were to miss weight and Garbrandt was on hand he could get the shot he is looking for. Either way, Garbrandt needs a win on Saturday and to come out to the bout without injury. Moreno and Figueiredo are set to clash for the third time at UFC 270.
Do you think Garbrandt has what it takes to win UFC gold in the flyweight division?
UFC President Dana White says Sean O’Malley won’t fight top bantamweights until he’s ready, something he doesn’t believe “Sugar” is yet.
Despite being only four years into his career on MMA’s biggest stage, a period interrupted by a two-year absence thanks to an injury and a USADA suspension, O’Malley has consistently been criticized by a portion of fans for not entering the Octagon with a ranked opponent.
After a highlight-reel knockout of Thomas Almeida in March and a record-breaking striking performance against Kris Moutinho in July, the 27-year-old looked set to fight his first top-15 name in the form of Raulian Paiva. However, the Brazilian’s time at the bottom-end of the rankings was short-lived.
Despite falling to his first professional loss last year against Marlon “Chito” Vera, and only picking up victories against unranked opponents since, O’Malley hasn’t shied away from calling out high-level bantamweights. That includes Dominick Cruz and Pedro Munhoz, who will face each other below O’Malley on this weekend’s card, despite their places in the top 10.
White said that, unless your name is Khamzat Chimaev, fighters can’t move up the rankings as fast as fans expect O’Malley to. In the UFC President’s eyes, “Sugar” isn’t ready yet.
“It has nothing to do with his contract. I mean, he’s not ready. You guys wanna throw him to the wolves. You don’t move somebody that fast, unless they’re Khamzat Chimaev. Khamzat is a guy you feel comfortable moving that fast. I mean, O’Malley just lost a couple fights ago. Talking about bigger fights and all that shit, this is a tough fight for him on Saturday night.
“In his last fight he looked incredible, he put on a clinic. I think because O’Malley’s so popular and whatever, you’re always gonna have the critics that give this kid shit. He’s a tough kid, he’s fun, he’s exciting to watch, but he’s making his way, you know, the way you’re supposed to. You don’t just turn O’Malley around and throw him against killers. That’s not how it works.”
White’s latest comments go hand-in-hand with remarks O’Malley made at UFC 269 media day on Wednesday. The Montana native denied avoiding ranked opponents, and said he simply faces whoever the UFC offers him. If he had control of who he faces, O’Malley said he’d be fighting the likes of Cruz and Munhoz next.
While he’ll have to get past the tough test of the in-form Paiva instead, a big-name opponent could be waiting in the wings for O’Malley in 2022 if he’s victorious on Saturday night.
Who would you like to see Sean O’Malley fight in 2022 if he defeats Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 this Saturday?
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