It’s true, UFC lightweight division Yes switch from Khabib Nurmagomedov, hard as that was.
It’s been over a year since Nurmagomedov’s sudden retirement, and the UFC has crowned an undisputed new champion, Charles Oliveira, in the May. Nurmagomedov is still happily retired and there is no sign that he will return. So yes, the division has continued – to a degree.
Why didn’t the 155 pound division continue total to a new chapter? There is still one loose end to tie back. And that has to do with Dustin Poirier.
At a time when it became clear that Nurmagomedov was indeed out of the sport undefeated, everyone agreed that Poirier was the best remaining lightweight athlete in the world. Poirier is a former interim champion with 20 wins in the Octagon. He is leading 8-1 in his past nine matches, with the only loss coming to Nurmagomedov in 2019.
The UFC acknowledged Poirier’s place in the league earlier this year, giving him a choice between a lightweight title fight and a lucrative three-part fight. Conor McGregor. Poirier opted to join the money fight last July, so the UFC went ahead with a title fight between Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler.
Oliveira won, and with impressive fashion sense. And with a streak of 9 wins, he’s the team’s champion. But he is still not considered the best. It’s still Poirier.
Which brings us to Saturday’s UFC 269 main event title fight. Both men hold what the other wants. Poirier has never been an undisputed UFC champion. That’s the only thing he’s failed to do in his career. Oliveira, meanwhile, has hardware but no state. His path to becoming “the world’s best light car” passed through Poirier.
This weekend’s co-main event is also a championship match. Two-tier champion Amanda Nunes will defend her bantamweight title against Julianna Pena. But Nunes is a very popular candidate, leaving most of the focus on the title.
The 155-pound match was not called “Champ vs. Champ”, because there was no title belt around Poirier’s waist. But the reality is that there might as well be one there. Arguably, no title fight in UFC history has featured two men like prove like Oliveira and Poirier, with a total of 39 wins – 30 finishes – in the UFC.
It’s a new era without Khabib with light weight, sure. And that era has begun. To say that’s not an insult to Oliveira. But then, a new era could be said to be completely in progress would be an insult to Poirier. The division first needs to let Poirier have his say this weekend.
Saturday’s UFC 269 main card is pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. and prelims on ESPN+ at 6 p.m.
Lightweight Championship:
Charles Oliveira (c) vs. Dustin Poirier
Oliveira versus Poirier by the numbers
54: UFC fights incorporate into UFC 269 (Oliveira 28, Poirier 26). That’s the most by two boxers going into a title fight.
39: UFC combined wins (Poirier 20, Oliveira 19). That tied for most in a title war with 2017 Georges St-Pierre compare to Michael Bisping.
30: Combined UFC finish (Oliveira 17, Poirier 13), the most for two opponents in a fight.
29: The UFC combined bonus (Oliveira 17, Poirier 12), is also the most for two opponents.
Source: ESPN Stats & Info and UFC Stats
And the winner is…
“Can Oliveira beat Dustin?” Sayif Saud, coach at Fortis MMA said. “Khabib Nurmagomedov shows that when he took down Dustin, he overpowered him. Not everyone was Khabib, but Oliveira was destroyed Tony Ferguson on the ground, and no one has done it before. So you can’t take that away from him. If Oliveira can take down Dustin, that creates a lot of opportunities for him because his jiu-jitsu is just too good. “
Check out how Saud and other experts Break down the main event and predict the winner.
Women’s bantamweight championship:
Amanda Nunes (c) vs. Julianna Pena
1:07
Bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes shares how she wasn’t afraid to take out Julianna Peña at UFC 269.
Nunes vs Peña in numbers
1,981: It will be the day, on the night of the fight, since Nunes won the bantamweight title on July 9, 2016. It’s the fourth-longest title reign in UFC history.
.933: UFC win percentage goes to Nunes, who is 14-1 in the Octagon with an aggressive 12-fight winning streak. The only fighters with a higher win rate over 15 UFC fights are Kamaru Usman and Anderson Silva, both with the score 15-0.
9: The title fight went to Nunes, who is among the only four fighters to hold two UFC titles at the same time. With victory at UFC 269, Nunes will join Silva, Jon Jones, St-Pierre and Demetrius Johnson is the only boxer to win 10 title fights.
53.6: Peña’s takedown accuracy percentage, second highest among weight class active women.
Source: ESPN Stats & Info and UFC Stats
And the winner is…
“It’s 1A and 1B when you talk about the best female boxers in the world right now: Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko“Eric Nicksick, coach at Xtreme Couture, said.” I think Amanda can do whatever she wants in this fight. If you look at where Peña’s best attribute is, it’s on the ground when she rises above. So Amanda needs to maintain the fight on her feet and use her Muay Thai. Keep moving, use angles so she doesn’t just stand in front of Peña, and work those pull counters, causing Peña to slide big and then attack into a corner. “
Check out how Nicksick and other experts Break down the main event and predict the winner.
Saturday’s Battle Card
1:27
Watch the intense and intense main event fight at UFC 269 between Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira.
ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET
Light title: Charles Oliveira (c) vs. Dustin Poirier
Women’s bantamweight titles: Amanda Nunes (c) vs. Julianna Pena
Light-weight: Geoff Neal compare to Santiago Ponzinibbio
Male fly class: Kai Kara-France compare to Cody Garbrandt
Men’s middleweight: Raulian Paiva compare to Sean O’Malley
ESPN2 / ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET
Men’s feather class: Josh Emmett compare to Dan Ige
Men’s middleweight: Dominick Cruz compare to Pedro Munhoz
Heavy: Augusto Sakai compare to Tai Tuivasa
Average grade: Jordan Wright compare to Bruno Silva
ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET
Average grade: Andre Muniz compare to Eryk Anders
Female fly class: Erin Blanchfield compare to Miranda Maverick
Male fly class: Alex Perez compare to Matt Schnell
Men’s feather class: Ryan Hall compare to Darrick Minner
Men’s middleweight: Randy Costa compare to Tony Kelley
Female fly class: Gillian Robertson compare to Priscila Cachoeira
(c) = defending champion
Ian Parker’s Best Bet
Pedro Munhoz vs Dominick Cruz: In the previous four matches, win or lose, Munhoz has come to a decision. I don’t see the results being much different from Cruz, who has had four of his previous five games go away. Cruz is a striker in high form but without much power, and his defense is difficult to dismiss. I think Munhoz got the win here, using his calf kicks to slow Cruz down and then launch more dangerous shots. If Munhoz can knock out the match, he’ll have the edge there too. But expect it to go to the judges. Pick: Fight away, at -175.
For more tips from Parker and Reed Kuhn on the best bets of this battle card, come here.
How to watch the matches
Watch PPV and all other matches on ESPN+. Get ESPN+ here.
Watch prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+ and prelims on ESPN+. Download the ESPN . App | WatchESPN | Broadcast schedule
No ESPN2? Instant access.
Bought war on your phone and want to stream it on your TV? Learn how here.
There are also FightCenter, provides live updates for every UFC card.
ESPN’s Jeff Wagenheim also contributed to this fight preview.
