Julianna Pena shocked the world when she defeated Amanda Nunes to win the UFC women’s bantamweight title.
The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (December 11, 2021) at the UFC 269 pay-per-view event from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the first round, Nunes dropped her twice – once with a leg kick then a jab. Pena tried to go for a takedown, but that didn’t work. Nunes got a takedown and even had her back at one point. Pena had her in a kimura for a bit, but the round ended. In the second round, Pena came out swinging and they had an unbelievable exchange for a few minutes. Nunes got tired. Pena clinched with her up against the fence before taking her down and locking in the rear-naked choke for the win.
Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:
In her previous fight, Nunes retained the featherweight strap over Megan Anderson by first-round submission at UFC 259. Before that, she retained the bantamweight strap over Felicia Spencer at the UFC 250 pay-per-view event got a decision victory over Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245 by decision and another impressive victory at the expense of former champ Holly Holm at the UFC 239 pay-per-view event. Nunes knocked out Cris Cyborg in the first round in the co-headliner of UFC 232 to win the UFC women’s featherweight title on December 29, 2018, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. With that win, Nunes became a two-division champion as she’s the champ of the women’s bantamweight and featherweight divisions.
Pena entered this fight with a 10-4 pro-MMA record and had gone 2-2 in her last four fights to get here. She lost to Valentina Shevchenko by submission in January 2017 before getting a decision win over Nicco Montaño, but dropped a loss to Germaine de Randamie by decision in October 2020. She rebounded with a submission win over Sara McMann.
Let’s see how the fighters reacted to the outcome of this fight:
The UFC 269 post-fight press conference will be live once the action concludes.
In the headliner, Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier will collide in a lightweight title clash. UFC 269’s co-main event will see a clash between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena in a women’s bantamweight title bout. More action will also be featured on the main card as Geoff Neal shares the Octagon with Santiago Ponzinibbio.
The fighters from both the main and co-main events are expected to attend the post-fight press conference barring any hospital visits. Of course anyone else on the card who has a breakout performance could also attend the presser.
MMA News will be providing live coverage of the UFC Vegas card. Be sure to check back here for the post-fight presser with a tentative start time of 12:15 a.m. ET.
Let us know your big takeaways once the UFC 269 post-fight press conference.
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier is hoping emulate the success of inspirational champions like Michael Bisping and Robbie Lawler at UFC 269.
Inspirational is certainly an appropriate word to use to describe Poirier’s career. From dropping out in the ninth grade after repeatedly getting into trouble to challenging for gold on MMA’s biggest stage, not many fighters have forged an unlikely path to success like the Lafayette, Louisiana native.
After hitting the form of his life with with victories over Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Max Holloway, Poirier entered a 2019 clash with then-UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov as the interim titleholder. The submission loss felt like a crushing end to his journey to the top. But the story wasn’t to end that night in Abu Dhabi.
Now over two years later, “The Diamond” has recorded a win against Dan Hooker, equaled his score with Conor McGregor by becoming the first man to knock him out, and secured a trilogy victory over the Irishman. Poirier now has his sights back on the title, which he’ll challenge for this weekend in the final pay-per-view main event of the year.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXPwyBlM97F/
Poirier Hopes To Join Illustrious Company
In his way on December 11 will be reigning champion Charles Oliveira. As far as shocking and heart-warming championship wins go, not many fit the term better than “Do Bronx.” In his 28th outing in the UFC, the Brazilian had gold wrapped around his waist for the first time after an incredible comeback against Michael Chandler.
Discussing his fellow veteran’s success at UFC 269 media day on Wednesday, Poirier admitted it felt “special” to see Oliveira reach the top. Citing the triumphs of some other legends, “The Diamond” said his goal on Saturday will be to join the list of inspirational champions who overcame the odds.
“For sure, man. I’ve been watching that guy a long time. We both been in the same waters: ‘45, ’55 for the last decade in the UFC. And there’s a list of guys that when they won the belt was really special. He’s on that list, Bisping’s on that list, Robbie Lawler’s on that list. Underdogs. Of course everybody’s fighting against adversity, but the guy who were counting out a couple times and made it happen. And I’m trying to add my name to that list. That’s the goal here this weekend.”
After a lucrative year of money fights with MMA’s biggest superstar, Poirier will look to close his 2021 with a championship crowning inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. For those rooting for the lightweight with the most inspirational journey to the title, this is a tough duo to choose between.
Are you backing Dustin Poirier to dethrone Charles Oliveira this weekend at UFC 269?
Sean O’Malley is already sure he will have a shot at the bantamweight title.
Sean O’Malley might be the most popular man in the UFC bantamweight division. His personality and style have earned him a large fanbase. Although he is not yet ranked in the stacked division, he knows that he will fight for the title one day. If he has his way, that title fight will be against Petr Yan, the current interim champ.
“I’m gonna fight for the title, 100%,” O’Malley told BT Sports. “I’m gonna beat the guys I need to beat to fight for the title, and it’s gonna be me vs. Petr. I truly believe that will be the biggest fight in bantamweight history.”
O’Malley has been on a roll since coming to the UFC. His debut of the Dana White’s Contender Series immediately turned heads. He was awarded a contract and jumped into the difficult bantamweight division with both feet. He stacked up four wins in a row before suffering his first loss. Now with a two-fight win streak under him, O’Malley is looking to take on Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.
O’Malley may not be fighting ranked opponents yet, but he is certainly ready to call them out. He has been calling for a rematch with the one man to hand him a loss, Marlon Vera. He has also recently beefed with former champion Cody Garbrandt. Although Garbrandt is now at flyweight, O’Malley is still looking for that fight and the two were involved in a near altercation at the UFC 269 media day.
Cody Garbrandt has always been a bit of a hothead, and fans at home caught a live glimpse of this in 2016.
Tonight, both Cody Garbrandt and Dominick Cruz will be competing at UFC 269, but much has changed since their 2016 bout. For one thing, neither man is in the top 5 at bantamweight anymore. In Garbrandt’s case, he isn’t even in the division at all.
But five years ago, Garbrandt had all the momentum in the world and an undefeated record. He also had a deep animosity for then-champion Dominick Cruz ahead of their UFC 207 bout. Don’t believe me? Look no further than the following article we ran five years ago.
The following article is presented in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 28, 2016, 8:38 PM]
Headline: Video: Garbrandt Storms Off Joint-Interview With Cruz, Goes Looking For Him
Author: Matt Boone
Well, tensions are definitely rising, folks!
During their latest split-screen joint television interview, UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz and Team Alpha Male contender Cody “No Love” Garbrandt reached their boiling point.
Featured above is an excerpt from the joint interview, which aired via The Fight Network based out of Canada, and saw Garbrandt threaten to leave and find Cruz, who he mentioned was only one room over from where he was currently sitting.
At that point, Garbrandt took his microphone off and apparently went in search of the reigning UFC 135-pound champion.
One day he won’t have to look for Cruz is this Friday, as Garbrandt becomes the latest member of the Team Alpha Male camp to try and dethrone the UFC’s longtime 135-pound champion when the two meet in the co-main event of Friday’s UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey pay-per-view event.
UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey takes place from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, airing live on pay-per-view this Friday, December 30th. Join us here at MMANews.com on Friday evening for live round-by-round results coverage of the UFC 207 pay-per-view.
For more of The Fight Network’s coverage of UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey, visit their official website at FightNetwork.com.
The following is an article from earlier this year, featuring one-half of tonight’s UFC 269 headliners and current lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. The article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAY 16, 2021, 7:01 AM]
Headline: Conor McGregor’s Tweet Elicits A Strong Response From Charles Oliveira
For the second straight pay-per-view, Conor McGregor let the winner of the main event know that he was coming for his championship belt.
When Conor McGregor put Kamaru Usman on notice that he was coming for his welterweight title after UFC 261, Usman accused him of “clout chasing,” stating that McGregor knew full well he didn’t really want to fight him. Others have also accused McGregor of this in the past whenever he would react to a big performance from another fighter soon after an event had concluded.
In this case, McGregor’s post-UFC 262 tweet is fairly safe from this suspicion due to the relevancy the main event had to his own short-term future.
Congrats to Olivera on becoming the 11th UFC lightweight champion. Wonder who Twelve is…
“Congrats to Olivera on becoming the 11th UFC lightweight champion. Wonder who Twelve is…” McGregor wrote.
The usually even-keeled Charles Oliveira issued the following response to McGregor after soaking in his newly won UFC lightweight championship over Michael Chandler.
“Conor, worry about Dustin,” Oliveira advised through an interpreter at the UFC 262 post-fight press conference. “Conor, since you’re so tough: First of all, you beat Dustin, and then you come over to Brazil and I’m going to put you on your ass. First he’s got to get past Dustin. He’s one of these guys that just talks a lot. He’s got to beat Dustin first.”
Charles Oliveira’s come-from-behind victory over Chandler matched the Brazilian’s path to the title shot in the first place: It was hard-earned and full of adversity. The fact that the UFC all-time submission holder got it done with his hands is a testament to how far he’s come as a mixed martial artist since debuting in the UFC at only 20 years old more than a decade ago.
Oliveira was willing to fight whoever was put in front of him along the way, so he is not committed to the idea of fighting Conor McGregor despite his fired-up response. Instead, he’s decided to stick to his job of showing up and winning.
“I battled hard to get here,” Oliveira said. “Everyone’s talking about who it’s going to be next – Poirier or Conor. I’ll leave that my manager, and I’m going to go home and rest.”
How do you think a fight would go between new UFC undisputed lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and Conor McGregor?
As she prepares to face dominant two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes, bantamweight contender Julianna Peña has suggested there’s “no such thing as an underdog.”
The oddsmakers and most in the MMA community would certainly have something to say about that, with not many believing Peña has much of a chance at dethroning the “Lioness” this weekend at UFC 269.
Peña, who currently sits at #3 in the 135-pound rankings, has gone 2-2 in her last four appearances. But while defeats to current flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko and inaugural featherweight titleholder Germaine de Randamie have prevented a winning streak from developing, “The Venezuelan Vixen” certainly gave a good effort in both contests. Until making some mistakes, Peña believes she was well on her way to two victories, a theory that’s hard to argue against.
She’ll look to avoid committing similar errors inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. If she does make them, a killer like Nunes, who is unbeaten since 2014 and has defended the bantamweight title five times, will likely pounce.
During a recent interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Peña gave some insight into her attitude and positive mindset, citing faith and self-belief as the tools behind her immense confidence.
“I have an unwavering amount of faith in God and making sure that I’m doing everything that I need to do in order to get my hand raised. So I did all the work and then I have this unwavering faith and belief in myself. I almost feel like it’s a David vs. Goliath type situation, where all these chips are stacked against me, and I just know that at the end of the day, I have faith in God and I have faith in my abilities and I have faith in my skillset. I think that that strong mentality has carried me through in all of my fights.”
Despite still sitting as a heavy underdog heading into the final pay-per-view of the year, Peña denied that status, saying underdogs don’t exist.
“If you just look at any of the media or anything that the commentators say, no one is ever giving me a fair shake. They’re always considering me an underdog and they’re always counting me out. I was counted out on The Ultimate Fighter, no one thought I was gonna win. I ended up winning a show that was one of the toughest competitions in sports.
“When Amanda fights me, she’s not gonna be thinking, ‘Oh, she’s just some underdog.’ I don’t think that’s gonna be playing through her mind. So it doesn’t matter, there’s no such thing as an underdog. We’re going to go get into a fistfight in a steel cage, and there’s not much more I can say to it other than keep it simple.”
If Peña manages to have her hand raised against the consensus female MMA GOAT, it would represent one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, and everyone loves an underdog (or an existing Peña-approved equivalent).
How do you think Julianna Peña will fare against reigning two-division champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 269?
Tonight at UFC 269, both Cody Garbrandt and Sean O’Malley will be in action. They won’t be facing one another, however. In fact, they won’t even be fighting in the same division.
Despite the Twitter beef between the two men, the odds of them fighting are farther apart than ever before, even though the two squared up in the pre-fight press conference earlier this week.
Just as Dana White is against O’Malley facing “top” opponents now, he felt the same way last year.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 17, 2020, 10:28 AM]
Headline: UFC President Dana White Shuts Down Cody Garbrandt vs. Sean O’Malley Talk
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
UFC president Dana White doesn’t feel it’s the right time to book Cody Garbrandt vs. Sean O’Malley.
O’Malley and Garbrandt have been throwing some verbal jabs ever since UFC 250. Both men scored spectacular one-punch knockouts that earned them performance bonuses. They then got into a fun back-and-forth over who had the better finish. Then, O’Malley expressed his belief that he can knock Garbrandt out. Obviously, “No Love” disagrees.
Dana White Puts a Halt To Garbrandt vs. O’Malley
O’Malley is still quite young in his pro MMA career. While many are calling for him to get a step up a competition, a bout with a former UFC bantamweight champion as dangerous as Garbrandt might be too soon. That’s the belief White shared during his appearance on The Schmozone Podcast (h/t BJPenn.com).
“The problem is, you take a Sean O’ Malley…first of all he has been off for a couple of years, young kid, just coming in, like where does he goes from here? You got to give this kid a few more fights before he gets to Cody Garbrandt,” White said. “If he fought and beat Cody Garbrandt, then he’d break into the top five, and very few people in their careers break into the top five.”
O’Malley’s pro MMA record sits at a perfect 12-0. He’s coming off a highlight reel knockout over Eddie Wineland. It’s the “Sugar” show’s eighth win by way of knockout.
As for Garbrandt, he put a halt to his flyweight plans after knocking out Raphael Assuncao. “No Love” now aims to work his way back to the bantamweight title picture. Defeating Assuncao put Garbrandt back in the top five 135-pound rankings.
While Garbrandt vs. O’Malley probably won’t take place at this time, don’t rule it out in the future. If O’Malley ends up living up to the hype and Garbrandt continues to bounce back, we may very well be seeing “No Love” vs. “Sugar.”
Chael Sonnen is not convinced that the recent physique transformation of Conor McGregor is a good thing.
McGregor has been on the sidelines since breaking his leg in the trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier, working to recover from this devastating injury. However, he recently showed that he has made some big gains in this downtime, showing off a massive frame for the former featherweight and lightweight champion.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CW-lAT3JoWC/
While some people looked at this as a sign that McGregor is jacked and potentially looking to permanently move to welterweight, Sonnen is not so convinced. Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, the American Gangster said that this could actually be a bad thing and could potentially be a sign of the Irishman not training as much as he is trying to make people think.
“Conor is chiseled, man. There’s clothing people that pay Conor to wear their stuff. He’s got this fantastic build. That picture of him at 190 [lbs], I can’t give those same compliments. He looked like he was extremely bloated,” Sonnen said (h/t MiddleEasy). And when somebody weighs 190 – that’s used to weighing 155, 175; what you have to wonder is how. How did you get this big? Why? The answer to me seems redundantly obvious.
“You’re not training. You cannot train the way you need to prepare in MMA, which we’re well aware. We are well aware that Conor is not. He’s got the hurt leg and he’s not doing what he is used to. He’s not jumping rope. He’s not running. He’s not pulling the sled. He’s not sparring. We get it. He’s having to do other exercises. But that’s always important to know because that’s what Sean’s talking about.
“If you’re not doing our sport, who gives a damn what you weigh? If your calorie deficit to intake got so far out of control, that you’re bigger than you’ve ever been, that’s not a good thing,” Sonnen added.
The only way to know if Chael Sonnen is right is to wait and see how Conor McGregor looks when it comes time to get ready for a fight. That said, it certainly appears that the former champ-champ is actively training the best he can, at least according to his social media.
UFC 269 headliner Julianna Peña has never been one to bite her tongue.
Tonight, Julianna Peña will look to back up her hefty pre-fight talk when she takes on Amanda Nunes in the UFC 269 main event. One might even say that Peña has been attempting to bully Nunes ahead of their bout. Of course, Nunes has never been one to back down, and we saw that in the UFC 269 pre-fight press conference.
Nevertheless, Peña has always been assertive and strong-willed, even when women’s MMA was synonymous with alpha female “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.
Image Credit: Getty Images
In 2015, Peña came to Arianny Celeste’s defense against the “bully” Ronda Rousey, and she didn’t stop there. She returned with some more choice words for the then UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
During an appearance on Submission Radio in March of 2015, Peña shared her thoughts on a potential match against the former 135-pound champ.
“Where I would hold the advantage is that I would not be mentally broken before the fight ever started, which I feel is sometimes to me – in my opinion – what seems to be the case with these other women that are facing her,” said Pena.
Julianna Pena, Ronda Rousey
“They already look dead upon arrival when they’re in the cage with her and I refuse to be shaken,” Pena continued. “I’ve been bullied my whole life and I just feel like she’s been a bully, and I feel like in the sense that I’m the bully and I’m a bigger bully than she can imagine, and I think that I would also have the advantage in the sense that I’m not afraid wherever the fight goes.”
In the same aggressive fashion that Peña called for a fight against Amanda Nunes, she was equally as vocal about potentially facing Ronda Rousey for years. However, that “battle of the bullies” never materialized.
Fortunately for us, though, the fight between Peña and Nunes has and will go down in a matter of hours at UFC 269.
Who do you think would have won a fight between Julianna Peña and Ronda Rousey?
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)
Russian MMA Fighter Mehdi Dakaev gave a whole new meaning to the Superman punch with his KO victory Friday Night.
At EFC 43: Dakaev vs Zaynukov, Mehdi Dakaev took on fellow Russian Makkasharip Zaynukov. The bout ended quite memorably with Dakaev landing a diving punch on his opponent for the KO win.
MMA fans are well familiar with the superman punch. Many fighters have used it, including one of the greatest fighters of all time, Georges St-Pierre, who used the maneuver quite frequently.
Georges St-Pierre’s Superman punch lands flush
However, Mehdi Dakaev’s diving punch Friday night may have actually been more befitting of the “Superman punch” title. Peep it out below and you be the judge.
In addition to the form, the sheer speed in which it was executed was Superman-esque, with Dakaev diving faster than a speeding bullet! For his efforts, the victory improved his record to 14-2, with Zaynukov now falling to 11-4.
How impressed are you with Mehdi Dakaev’s new spin on the Superman punch?
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.
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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?
28-year-old MMA fighter Bunyod Tukhtayev is wanted by Russian police after he recently escaped custody in St. Petersburg following an attack.
Tukhtayev had been arrested earlier this week on charges of trading QR codes, which are required in public places around the area during the COVID-19 pandemic. The codes are used to verify vaccination status to enter certain areas of the city.
The MMA fighter is also accused of trading fake migration documents with people in the area.
Tukhtayev was also charged with resisting arrest after a brief incident with officers during the detainment process.
Footage of him resisting arrest can be viewed below.
Bunyod Tukhtayev Most Recently Competed On The Amateur Level
Later, Tukhtayev allegedly asked to use the restroom before planning his escape when he was returned to his designated detention room.
Tukhtayev most recently fought against fellow Uzbek, Dostonbek Dostmurodov during an R3 Fighting Championship event earlier this year in St. Petersburg. He suffered a loss in the fight after refusing to continue the action for the second round of the bout.
As of now, it’s unclear where Tukhtayev could’ve fled to, but he’s widely expected to still be in the St. Petersburg area. Tuktayev didn’t have a substantial criminal history before this recent incident.
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.
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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.
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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?
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