The 10 Most Watched Fights at UFC 269, including Charles Oliveira-Dustin Poirier and Amanda Nunes-Julianna Pena fights, 15 ranked fighters

UFC 269 is not only the ultimate pay-per-view event of the 2021 promotion, but it is also one of the best of the year. Wrap Saturday night’s event in colorful paper and put a big, vibrant bow on this festive gift for fans.

There were two championship matches – one with a two-division belt holder, the other with an un-crowned consensus champion. a lighter part.

Fifteen ranked fighters were on the fight card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, including six fights in which both fighters were in the top 15. There was also a showdown between several fighters. from ESPN. Brand new 25 under 25 top rankings.

The show’s title is one of the most anticipated title matches in recent memory, like Charles Oliveira put his UFC lightweight championship against Dustin Poirier, who is looking to add a golden shimmer to a successful year. Poirier takes down MMA’s biggest star, Conor McGregor, in two massively fat storms in January and July This weekend, he looks set to fulfill his long career dream and win a UFC title.

Other title battle features Amanda Nunes, the greatest fighter in female MMA history. She owns both the UFC bantamweight and featherweight belts, and this weekend her 135-pound belt is up for grabs as she fights with confidence. Julianna Pena.

Ahead of this weekend’s main and co-main event, UFC 269 will provide an exciting night of fights. So here’s one observer’s rank – mine – in Saturday’s top 10:

1. Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier, for UFC lightweight title

Breaking news: The main event, the fight for the lightweight championship, is #1 in this ranking. Shocked right? But would anyone on Earth – without the friends and family of the underdogs – put another game at the top of this list? This headline fight deserves to be the biggest, boldest font that stretches across the top of a sports page.

Oliveira is defending her first belt he won in May established himself as the unstoppable, undefeated, retired successor Khabib Nurmagomedov. And then there’s Poirier, who could have one of two spots in that spring fight for an empty title. Instead, he has opted to financially establish future generations of Poiriers for a comfortable and meaningful life by knocking out McGregor at UFC 264 in July.

It’s a risk for Poirier, turning his back on a championship chance, but if he wins the title on Saturday, “The Diamond” will take away a year’s sparkling jewel.

2. Kai Kara-France compare to Cody Garbrandt, male fly class

There’s mystery and a bit of a new frontier vibe around this match – enough to put it near the top of this leaderboard. Garbrandt has had a full four years of being disqualified from a brief reign as a bantamweight champion, and he has lost four of his last five matches – three by knockout. Now, he’s trying to reinvent himself as a flyweight.

Garbrandt must note that shedding an extra 10 pounds of weight is no joke in the lighter classes. If he has any doubts about it, all he has to do is watch the 32 second video since his good friend and former teammate TJ Dillashaw was quickly defeated by Henry Cejudo when he dropped from 135 to 125 pounds in 2019.

Unlike Dillashaw, Garbrandt did not slip right into the title challenge. But Kara-France is one of the top 10 barriers with high energy motives that add to the intrigue.

3. Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Peña for the UFC women’s bantamweight title

So the other title match of the last battle card isn’t ranked second? That seems disrespectful to Nunes, the greatest woman not only in the MMA scene today but also in the history of the sport. But she’s the 8-on-1 favorite to successfully defend her bantamweight title for the sixth time, and that makes this co-main event a no-brainer.

Any GOAT appearance is, of course, a must-see, and the other draw of this fight is Peña’s brazen confidence. She treats Nunes terribly, almost in a way that Bethe Correia taunt Ronda Rousey before being KOed for 34 seconds back in 2015. Like Correia, Peña appeared involuntarily, even illusoryly, as she headed straight for the seesaw. That makes this couple impossible to miss.

4. Pedro Munhoz compare to Dominick Cruz, men’s weight class

At the age of 36, with a body that has undergone many surgeries and constant inactivity, will Cruz still have the strength to regain the championship he once owned? This will be a legitimate test of his position.

While Munhoz has never won, he has been a mainstay of the top 10 for many years. He’ll take Cruz through the kind of battle that separates slain old stars from resurrected legends. How will it all turn out?

5. Miranda Maverick compare to Erin Blanchfield, female fly class

None of these women are in the top 10 fly class… yet. Maverick, 24 years old, ranked sixth in recent release ESPN’s Top 25 Under-25s list. Blanchfield, who is only 22 years old and has only had eight professional fights, placed 20th. One of these boxers will go a long way with victory.

And there’s even good news for this boxer who lost his baby. The woman who doesn’t have her arms lifted will still be young enough to learn and grow and perhaps become a great person along the way.

6. Alex Perez compare to Matt Schnell, male fly class

Perez will fight for the first time since his failed challenge of the champion afterwards Deiveson Figueedlyo at UFC 255 in November 2020. And here he is, down the card in the early days. Such was the plight of the flyweights – this was ignored, even if it was a fight between one boxer still ranked in the top 10 and another, Schnell, who was already in the rankings. ranked before dropping out of two of his last three games. However, matchmakers cannot fool us. This fight will make it worth the early tuning.

7. Josh Emmett compare to Dan Ige, feather class

This is another war flying under the radar, as Emmett and Ige are neither Mr. Personality (see below). But who cares? This match between the top 10 featherweight fighters promises to be 15 minutes of eye-catching action. What else could a fighting fan want?

8. Raulian Paiva compare to Sean O’Malley, men’s weight class

Is this too low on the list for the famous “Suga Sean”? Probably. But while O’Malley has an interesting fighting style and exudes confidence from every pore, he’s been with the UFC since 2017 and most of the fuss he’s made so far has been is the mouth that never shuts down. He’s created some combat accents, sure, but are there any more eye-catching than that colorful hairstyle of his?

Paiva has won three games in a row and has 21 career wins, but will a win over him be enough to put O’Malley in the standings? Perhaps if it was followed by a brief post-fight interview.

9. Ryan Hall compare to Darrick Minner, feather class

Hall is an acquired hobby for some fans, and watching his single, one-sided performances can be bittersweet, even for those who enjoy it. But his tenacious pursuit of grappling scrambles is admirable for its persistence and success. Or at least its success before Hall was defeated by Ilia Topuria at UFC 264 in July.

Miner is a former college wrestler, and it would be wise for him to use those skills to try to prevent the fight from ever coming to fruition.

ten. Augusto Sakai compare to Tai Tuivasa, heavyweight

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Tai Tuivasa performs his signature shoe shot and celebrates after knocking out Greg Hardy early.

This heavyweight clash has “slobberknocker” written on it… etched with beer stains inside a smelly shoe. Anything else you want to know?