UFC 269 results: Julianna Pena stuns Amanda Nunes, Charles Oliveira retains against Dustin Poirier

Not since Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey has there been as big an upset as the one fight fans saw at UFC 269. Amanda Nunes was listed as a heavy favorite to retain her bantamweight belt against Julianna Pena, the No. 3-ranked fighter in the class.

But the belt changed hands for the first time in more than five years. After struggling in the first round, Pena came out aggressively in the second round, landing a number of heavy jabs to the head of the champion. Pena caught her off-balance on the wall and then brought her to the mat, choking her into submission 3:26 into the round for a stunning defeat. Nunes had made five successful defenses of her bantamweight title prior to meeting Pena.

As if that wasn’t enough excitement, the main event, Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier, delivered thrills early, with both fighters coming out firing in the first round. Poirier got the better of the striking match in the first round, but Oliveira gained an edge in the second when he was able to grapple Poirier to the ground and rail him with elbows.

The third round was quick. It took just a few seconds for Oliveira to get on Poirier’s back and place him in a rear naked choke, extending his UFC record with his 15th submission and officially securing his first title defense despite coming into the fight as an underdog to the more experienced Poirier.

Sporting News provided live updates, results and highlights of UFC 269 in Las Vegas. Here’s how it all went down (all times Eastern):

UFC 269 live updates, highlights from Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier

Charles Oliveira (c) def. Dustin Poirier via 3rd-round submission (rear naked choke) (1:02).

12:41 a.m.: Oliveira again rushes in and takes control. He hops on top of Poirier’s back and starts attempting a rear naked choke, and that will do it. Oliveira wins by submission.

12:38 a.m.: Oliveira and Poirier start grappling right away, as Oliveira tries to bring him to the mat with knees. Poirier flips him and starts laying on a few punches. Oliveira grabs Poirier’s arms and spins the two, ending up on top as he starts to fire in some body shots on the ground and elbows to the head. Poirier is keeping Oliveira wrapped up and is trying to just hang in there against the champion, who keeps hammering him with elbows to the head. Oliveira finally gets up near the end of the round, lands an extra punch and a light kick as Poirier refused to get up until the horn was blown.

12:33 a.m.: In the first round, shots to the head favored Poirier 56-29.

12:32 a.m.: Oliveira immediately comes out of the gate with a high knee and a punch, but Poirier turns the match around fast with a few punches that set Oliveira off balance. Oliveira lands an uppercut and follows it by pinning Poirier to the wall. They grapple to the mat, but Poirier gets up and gets loose. Poirier lands some heavy shots, but Oliveira is able to get off the wall with a few knees. Poirier connects with a punch to the head that sends Oliveira to the mat. Oliveira uses his legs to keep some space and get back up. Poirier keeps applying the pressure with big shots. Oliveira caught Poirier with a hard strike to the head and followed with a knee at the wall. Finally, the round comes to an end.

12:18 a.m.: It’s time for the final fight of the night. Poirier has made his way out to the Octagon. The champion will make his walk out to the cage.

Julianna Pena def. Amanda Nunes via 2nd round submission (rear naked choke) (3:26)

12:08 a.m.: The new belt-wearer at women’s bantamweight.

12:03 a.m.: Just how big of an upset was this? ESPN Stats and Info says it is the second-biggest upset in UFC history. There is a new women’s bantamweight champion.

Julianna Peña cashes as a +650 underdog at @CaesarsSports, the 2nd-largest underdog to win a women’s title fight in UFC history (Holm vs Rousey).

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 12, 2021

12:02 a.m.: Pena and Nunes are exchanging jabs, but Pena has been getting the harder hits in through the first minute. She keeps hitting the champion with heavy shots to the head. Pena keeps firing in the jabs and gets Nunes to the wall. Nunes tries to grapple, but Pena gets her to the mat and starts choking her. Pena wins by submission in one of the most stunning upsets in UFC history.

11:56 p.m.: Pena slips early, but she’s able to get up before Nunes can get in too close. Pena lands a blow but Nunes quickly gets her to the mat and gets in a few shots herself. Pena is trying to grapple with Nunes. Nunes gets to Pena’s back and has her locked up. As they’re grappling, Nunes gets in a few hits. Pena spins out, but Nunes wraps her up by the neck and keeps her underneath. Pena has a good grip on Nunes’ left arm, and she lands a few hits as the horn blows. On to the second round.

11:44 p.m.: Now it’s Nunes’ turn to make her entrance to the Octagon.

11:41 p.m.: Time for the co-main event of the night. Julianna Pena will fight Amanda Nunes, hoping to take the champion’s bantamweight belt.

Geoff Neal def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

11:33 p.m.: Ponzinibbio wins on one judge’s scorecard but Neal wins on the other two.

11:30 p.m.: Both come out agressive in the third round, with each landing a few hard shots. Neal tags Ponzinibbio with a right hook and gets him to the wall, but Ponzinibbio is able to escape after a few body blows. Neal has some bleeding above his right eye, but responds by landing some heavier shots, including a kick. Ponzinibbio gets a few jabs to Neal’s head. With just over a minute left, they’re ramping it up, and Neal lands a few hard shots to Ponzinibbio’s head to knock him off balance. Neal connects with two straight lefts. Ponzinibbio ends the fight with a kick, but this will come down to a decision.

11:24 p.m.: Ponzinibbio starts the second the same way he ended the first, by firing in a few jabs at Neal. He’s been landing a few shots sporadically. Neal counters with a kick and a few swings, but for the most part he has been defensive this round. Ponzinibbio locks his hands around Neal and gets him to the mat, but Neal gets up pretty quick and lands a few blows. Neal gets in a shot to the head. Ponzinibbio wants an eye poke call but the referee doesn’t give it to him. The fight now moves to the third round.

11:17 p.m.: The fighters taking their time to move at one another. Ponzinibbio lands a jab and a kick about 90 seconds in, prompting Neal to respond with a few shots of his own. Halfway through, Neal hits another jab to the head and goes for another high kick. Neal is connecting on a few more punches, and he’s been able to avoid any major shots from Ponzinibbio. Ponzinibbio connects on a few quick hits at the bell, but this fight, unlike the prior two, will reach the second round.

11:06 p.m.: Neal and Ponzinibbio are making their walks out to the cage for the next fight on the main card.

Kai Kara-France def. Cody Garbrandt via 1st-round TKO (punches) (3:21)

10:55 p.m.: Garbrandt opens his flyweight career with a few leg kicks. Relatively quiet first two minutes of the round, but around 2:40, Kara-France lands a heavy blow to the face and gets a knockdown. He tries to follow it up, but Garbrandt starts to grapple with him before escaping. Kara-France gets another hard jab in there, and follows it up with a few more blows to the head before knocking Garbrandt down, this time for good. He’ll win by TKO.

10:44 p.m.: Next up on the main card is a flyweight clash between Kai Kara-France and Coby Garbrandt.

Sean O’Malley def. Raulian Paiva via 1st-round TKO (punches) (4:42)

10:36 p.m.: O’Malley said after the fight that he had a rib injury during camp and thought he’d have to pull out of the fight. Incredible to then come out and win in such dominant fashion.

10:32 p.m.: O’Malley starts the fight with a few kicks. After a foul, Paiva comes out with a few kicks of his own, targeting the left calf. O’Malley has offered a number of feints to try to keep Paiva off balance. Paiva gets a few kicks, but O’Malley responds with a few jabs to the head. O’Malley connects with a hard right, and Paiva stumbles. O’Malley starts hammering him with body and head shots until Paiva falls, and the ref calls the fight.

10:25 p.m.: The main card is officially underway.

10:21 p.m.: The first fight of the night will be Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O’Malley. The fighters are stepping into the Octagon now.

10:14 p.m.: Missed the earlier fights? Here are some of the highlights from the prelims.

10:01 p.m.: The prelims and early prelims are all wrapped up. It’s now time for the main card.

UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier start time

• Early prelims: 6:15 p.m. ET | 3:15 p.m. PT
• Prelims: 8 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. PT
• Main card (PPV): 10 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. PT
• Main event: Midnight ET | 9 p.m. PT (approximate)

UFC 269 is scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 11, with the early prelims. The main card will kick off at 10 p.m. ET. Oliveira and Poirier are expected to enter the Octagon around midnight ET, though that could change depending on the length of the earlier fights.

How to watch UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier

• Early prelims: ESPN+
• Prelims: ESPN2, ESPN+
• Main card (PPV): ESPN+
• PPV price: $69.99 (current ESPN+ subscribers) | $89.98 (new subscribers)

Every fight on the UFC 269 card will be available to watch on ESPN+. The prelims will also be available to watch on ESPN2.

UFC 269 fight card

Main card

• Charles Oliveira (c) def. Dustin Poirier for the UFC lightweight championship via-3rd round submission (rear naked choke) (1:02).
• Julianna Pena def. Amanda Nunes (c) for the women’s bantamweight championship via-2nd round submission (rear naked choke) (3:26).
• Geoff Neal def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28).
• Kai Kara-France def. Cody Garbrandt via 1st-round TKO (punches) (3:21).
• Sean O’Malley def. Raulian Paiva via 1st-round TKO (punches) (4:42).

Prelims

• Josh Emmett def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
• Dominick Cruz def. Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decisions (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
• Tai Tuivasa def. Augusto Sakai via 2nd-round KO (punches) (0:26).
• Bruno Silva def. Jordan Wright via 1st-round TKO (punches) (1:28).

Early prelims

• Andre Muniz def. Eryk Anders via 1st-round submission (armbar) (3:13).
• Erin Blanchfield def. Miranda Maverick via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
• Ryan Hall def. Darrick Minner via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27).
• Tony Kelley def. Randy Costa via 2nd-round TKO (strikes) (4:15).
• Gillian Robertson def. Priscila Cachoeira via 1st-round submission (rear naked choke) (4:59).

UFC 269 results: O’Malley shines, Peña shocks Nunes, Oliveira gets Poirier to tap

LAS VEGAS — Sean O’Malley did it again on Saturday. Everything the sport has come to know about him in his short UFC career was on full display at UFC 269.

O’Malley (15-1) earned his seventh win inside the Octagon, and he made it look easy against Raulian Paiva (21-4) at T-Mobile Arena. The bantamweight contest ended at the 4:42 mark of the opening round, when O’Malley dropped Paiva with right hands along the fence and followed with hammerfists until the referee intervened.

It’s a perfect way for O’Malley’s year to end. He walked to the Octagon three times in 2021 and finished all three of his opponents by knockout.

“Honestly, I think he’s one of the toughest guys I have fought,” O’Malley said. “But when I land those big shots, I’m gonna take you out. And that’s what happened.”

Immediately after the result, O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, revealed he suffered a rib injury during camp. The 27-year-old confirmed he nearly pulled out of the contest.

Sean O’Malley defeated Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 with a first-round finish. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

“I haven’t grappled or sparred in three weeks,” O’Malley said. “I was laying in bed one night, 99% sure I was pulling out of this fight. I just knew how many people were going to come out here and wanted to watch me fight — and I just couldn’t pull out.”

The injury had no ill effect on O’Malley’s performance. He confused Paiva with feints and stance switches. He fought with his typical hands-down style and expertly dictated range. Paiva never really landed a significant strike, while O’Malley had his way with body kicks, boxing combinations and counters.

If there is any criticism thus far of O’Malley’s UFC career, it has concerned the quality of his competition. Paiva was widely considered his toughest test, but O’Malley still went into the fight as a big betting favorite. O’Malley has made light of the criticism, referring to himself as the “Unranked Champ.”

Originally from Montana, now fighting out of Arizona, O’Malley experienced his only loss against Marlon Vera in 2020, in a fight in which he suffered a nerve injury in the first round.

Well another easy one for Suga Sean. Move him up.

— Funky (@Benaskren) December 12, 2021

Results:

Lightweight title: Charles Oliveira (c) (32-8 1 NC, 20-8 1 NC UFC) def. Dustin Poirier (28-7 1 NC, 20-6 1 NC UFC) by third-round submission (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

There will be no more underestimating Charles Oliveira.

After back-to-back stoppage wins over Conor McGregor, many thought Dustin Poirier becoming UFC lightweight champion was a foregone conclusion. Oliveira had a little something to say about that.

Oliveira weathered an early storm and then finished Poirier via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:02 of the third round Saturday night in the main event of UFC 269 at T-Mobile Arena. With the victory, Oliveira retained the UFC lightweight title.

“I’m the world champion,” Oliveira said in his postfight interview through an interpreter. “I’m the man. They talk. I do it.”

Oliveira, the greatest submission artist in UFC history, won the belt with a second-round TKO win over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May. That was Oliveira’s 28th UFC fight — the longest journey for any fighter to a UFC title in history. Yet, he remained unheralded with more popular names like Poirier near the top of the division. It’ll be hard to doubt “Do Bronx” any longer.

Women’s bantamweight title: Julianna Peña (12-4, 7-2 UFC) def. Amanda Nunes (c) (21-5, 14-2 UFC)

Julianna Peña swore she’d do it. She swore she would take out the greatest of all time, double champ Amanda Nunes. Next to no one believed her.

UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier

If the pay-per-view is purchased, all fights from UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier are available to watch on ESPN+.

Then she went out and did exactly that.

Peña (11-4) scored one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history on Saturday, as she submitted Nunes (21-5) in the second round of their bantamweight title fight. The finish came at the 3:26 mark, after Peña hurt Nunes on the feet, took her to the ground, moved to her back and locked in a rear-naked choke.

“I told you,” Peña said. “Don’t ever doubt me again. . She tapped and I asked the commission, ‘Is it over?’ He said, ‘Yes, you won.’ It didn’t [seem real]. It feels crazy. But I expected to win. The world is my oyster. You have the ability to do anything you want in this life.”

Welterweight: Geoff Neal (14-4, 6-2 UFC) def. Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-5, 10-4 UFC) by split decision (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

It wasn’t the most stirring fight. The techniques used were not so diverse, as the two combatants mostly just stood in front of each other throwing punches to the face and kicks to the legs for three rounds. But Neal cannot complain, as he got the nod on two judges’ scorecards to end a two-fight losing streak.

Each fighter received a 29-28 score in his favor, and the other scorecard was 30-27 for Neal. The 31-year-old, who fights out of Dallas, sewed up the victory in the third round, building a 43-30 striking advantage as Ponzinibbio started to lose steam.

It was a slow-paced fight with some odd moments, with the action paused by a groin strike or eye poke multiple times. Referee Mark Smith issued several warnings to both fighters for their fouls but never deducted a point.

Ponzinibbio, a 35-year-old Argentinian who fights out of Coconut Creek, Florida, has lost two of his last three after running off a seven-fight winning streak.

Men’s flyweight: Kai Kara-France (23-9 NC, 6-2 UFC) def. Cody Garbrandt (12-5, 7-5 UFC) by first-round TKO (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

Kai Kara-France knocked out Cody Garbrandt in the first round of their fight at UFC 269. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Garbrandt’s move down to flyweight could not have gone worse. On the other hand, Kara-France picked up the biggest victory of his career.

Kara-France stopped Garbrandt, the former UFC bantamweight champion, via TKO at 3:21 of the first round. He dropped Garbrandt with a right hand, gave chase and, after shaking off a Garbrandt takedown attempt, landed several more combinations. A final right hand by Kara-France put Garbrandt down, and referee Herb Dean stepped in as Kara-France already began to celebrate.

ESPN ranked Kara-France No. 8 in the world coming in, and this victory could vault him to instant title-contender status. That’s what Kara-France said he wanted next in his postfight interview: the winner of the UFC 270 fight between champion Brandon Moreno and former champ Deiveson Figueiredo on Jan. 22.

Wow amazing performance for Kara-France

— Jared Gordon (@JFlashGordonMMA) December 12, 2021

“I told you I was gonna answer a lot of questions tonight and I did,” Kara-France said. “I know I’m the best in the world. Taking on a former champ, I think it puts me right in line for the title shot.”

Kara-France blasted Garbrandt with a right cross, sending him to the canvas. Kara-France tried to flurry as Garbrandt attempted to evade. Garbrandt shot for a takedown and nearly landed it, quickly trying to get Kara-France’s back. But Kara-France broke free to land another combination and then a big right hand that finished the fight.

Kara-France, 28, has won two straight, both by first-round KO/TKO. The New Zealand native has won six of eight in the UFC overall. Garbrandt, a 30-year-old Ohio native fighting out of California and New Jersey, has dropped two in a row and five of six. This was his debut at flyweight in the UFC.

Men’s featherweight: Josh Emmett (17-2, 8-2 UFC) def. Dan Ige (15-5, 7-4 UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

Josh Emmett returned from a 18-month layoff to defeat Dan Ige by decision at UFC 269. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Two 145-pounders known for all-action performances put on a fight that lived up to both men’s reputations, with Emmett seizing an early advantage with a big knockdown and weathering a gritty, poised bounce-back by Ige that made it a close fight.

Emmett, who is 36 and fights out of Sacramento, California, has won four in a row. His knockdown in Round 1 gave him 11 in his UFC career, tying him with Jeremy Stephens for the most in division history. But Emmett has had just seven featherweight fights, whereas Stephens has had 18.

Ige, a 30-year-old from Las Vegas, has lost two in a row and three of his past four. He looked like he could be a goner after that early knockdown, but he calmly fought his way back into the fight, controlling much of Round 2 and giving as much as he took in the final five minutes.

Beautiful War between 2 monsters.

— Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) December 12, 2021

Nonetheless, one judge scored the bout 30-27 for Emmett, while the other two had it a more reasonable 29-28.

Men’s bantamweight: Dominick Cruz (24-3, 7-2 UFC) def. Pedro Munhoz (19-7 1 NC, 9-7 1 NC UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

Dominick Cruz defeated Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision at UFC 269. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

More than a decade after he won his first major title in the division, Cruz remains one of the most difficult fighters to figure out.

Cruz outpointed Munhoz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), rallying after nearly getting finished in the first round. Munhoz hurt Cruz badly early, but in the second and third rounds, it looked like vintage Cruz — superior footwork and the ability to potshot Munhoz with combinations and get out before taking damage.

Munhoz caught Cruz with two left hands in the first round that dropped Cruz. Though Cruz was reeling, Munhoz was not able to close the deal. Cruz survived the round and even mounted some offense late, foreshadowing the next two rounds. “Honestly, I thought I slipped,” Cruz said in his postfight interview. “I guess that tells you where I was at.”

Cruz was able to work his magic in the final two rounds. Very few fighters in the history of MMA have his level of footwork, with the ability to create angles out of nowhere and then disappear before an opponent can counter. Cruz landed big combinations on Munhoz in the second and third, opening up a cut on the right side of Munhoz’s face.

Cruz, 36, has won two straight since losing to Henry Cejudo in a bantamweight title fight at UFC 249 in May 2020. The California native is a two-time former UFC bantamweight champion, known for coming back from injuries and still remaining in top form. Cruz is 15-2 in his past 17 fights and has the most wins in UFC/WEC bantamweight history (14).

Munhoz, 35, has dropped four of five, but no one has had a tougher strength of schedule in the bantamweight division. Munhoz has fought five former or current UFC champions in his past six fights, and coming in, ESPN ranked Munhoz No. 10 in the world at bantamweight. The Brazil native was coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jose Aldo at UFC 265 in August.

Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa (14-3, 7-3 UFC) def. Augusto Sakai (15-4-1, 4-3 UFC) by second-round KO (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

It’s hard to decipher what a live UFC crowd appreciates more out of Tuivasa at this point: his knockouts or his shoeys.

Tuivasa, of Sydney, gave the Las Vegas crowd both on Saturday. He viciously knocked out Sakai, of Brazil, 26 seconds into the second round with punches along the fence to extend his win streak to four. Immediately after the knockout, he jumped onto the cage and downed his trademark shoey — a beer, poured into a sneaker.

“I feel I’m getting better and better at this point,” Tuivasa said. “I heard my corner say that left [hook] is opening up. I just had to stand on my edge, stalk him and hunt him down. I’ve said it before: I’m a banger from Western Sydney, and I’ll bang with anyone.”

The end was violent, but the buildup to it was very calculated for Tuivasa. He took the center of the cage and calmly pursued Sakai around the perimeter. Sakai landed some good knees to the body in the clinch, but Tuivasa’s boxing dictated the early exchanges.

After rocking Sakai with a left hook out in the open, Tuivasa followed him to the fence and attacked with right hands until he scored one down the middle to finish the fight. Sakai has now lost three in a row after starting his UFC career on a four-fight win streak.

Middleweight: Bruno Silva (22-6, 3-0 UFC) def. Jordan Wright (12-2, 2-2 UFC) by first-round TKO (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

Wright was connecting early with kicks to the body and head, then had Silva trapped against the cage and was landing knees to the body. But Silva weathered the onslaught, even welcomed it. He fought himself away from the cage with a flurry of punches, and when he landed a crisp right-left combination he had Wright wobbled, leading to the finish at 1:28 of the round.

Silva, a 32-year-old Brazilian, has won seven in a row, all by knockout. He used resilience and pinpoint accuracy to quickly get the job done. He is the fifth middleweight to start a UFC career 3-0 with three knockouts, joining Paulo Costa, Nate Quarry, Yoel Romero and Gerald Harris.

Wright, who is 30 and from Los Angeles, has lost two of his past three after starting his career at 11-0 with a no contest. Both losses have come by knockout.

Middleweight: Andre Muniz (22-4, 4-0 UFC) def. Eryk Anders (14-6 1 NC, 6-6 1 NC UFC) by first-round submission (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

Andre Muniz’s takedown of Eryk Anders early in the first round was the beginning of the end of their fight at UFC 269. Muniz won shortly after by submission. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Demian Maia and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza are no longer in the UFC. In their absence, the middleweight division has a new grappling specialist.

Muniz submitted Anders with an armbar at 3:13 of the first round following a supremely slick grappling exchange. It was similar to the sequence that led to Muniz breaking Souza’s arm earlier this year. Afterward, Muniz said this proved his prowess had nothing to do with luck.

“As it turns out, we train a lot,” Muniz said in his postfight interview. “That’s my position and I dominate.”

He’s like a new age Maia

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 12, 2021

Muniz shot for a big takedown early in the fight and landed it. Anders was able to work his way back to his feet, but Muniz got Anders’ back standing up and then impressively transitioned to the armbar as things went back down to the ground.

Muniz, 31, has won eight straight, including his first four in the UFC. The Brazil native also has three straight submission finishes — including that armbar win over Souza at UFC 262 in May — and has won four of his past five via tap.

Anders, a 34-year-old Alabama resident fighting out of Arizona, has just one win in his past four fights.

Women’s flyweight: Erin Blanchfield (8-1, 2-0 UFC) def. Miranda Maverick (11-4, 2-2 UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

The future of the UFC’s 125-pound division was on display in a battle of two women in ESPN’s top-25-under-age-25 rankings, and the 22-year-old Blanchfield was thoroughly dominant.

Blanchfield, who fights out of Elmwood Park, New Jersey, won her fifth fight in a row, including her first two in the UFC, by tying the flyweight record with seven takedowns and threatening takedowns the whole way. She spent nearly the entire fight in dominant positions, and Maverick spent the whole 15 minutes playing defense.

All three judges scored the bout 30-27, and they made it seem closer than it was.

Maverick, who is 24 and from Norfolk, Virginia, has lost two in a row after running off a five-fight winning streak. Her July defeat against Maycee Barber was tightly contested, though, while this one was not.

Men’s featherweight: Ryan Hall (9-2, 5-1 UFC) def. Darrick Minner (26-13, 2-3 UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

Ryan Hall’s relentless pressure on the ground led him to victory over Darrick Minner at UFC 269. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

It was not an easy victory per se, but ultimately Hall relied heavily on his bread and butter in a three-round decision over a near 40-fight veteran in Minner.

Hall, of Falls Church, Virginia, outclassed Minner on the floor en route to his fifth win in the UFC. Minner did well defending Hall’s numerous attempts at chokes and leg attacks, but he consistently lost key positional battles in grappling exchanges. Hall finished the second and third rounds in dominant top position, landing strikes.

Minner, of Nebraska, had some success on the feet but seemed very willing to engage with Hall on the ground. According to UFC Stats, Hall was not credited with a single takedown, but the action hit the mat in every frame — which favored Hall’s style.

Hall rebounded from a knockout loss to prospect Ilia Topuria in his last bout in July.

Elite level grappling and Jiujitsu by both these killers exciting fight #ufc269

— Charles Rosa (@CharlesRosaMMA) December 11, 2021

Men’s bantamweight: Tony Kelley (8-2, 2-1 UFC) def. Randy Costa (6-3, 2-3 UFC) by second-round TKO (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

Kelley had a game plan and executed it to perfection.

In the first round, Kelley came out and put a relentless pace on Costa, causing Costa to fatigue. In the second, Kelley finished the job, winning by TKO at 4:15 of the round. Kelley dropped Costa with a knee to the body from the Thai clinch and then fired off a barrage of ground-and-pound until referee Mark Smith stepped in to stop it.

“I’m stoked, man,” Kelley said in his postfight interview. “But I’m not surprised.”

Kelley, 34, has won two straight following a loss in his UFC debut in August 2020. The Louisiana native picked up his first stoppage victory in the UFC here, as well. Costa, a 27-year-old Massachusetts native, had a two-fight winning streak snapped.

Women’s flyweight: Gillian Robertson (10-6, 7-4 UFC) def. Priscila Cachoeira (10-4, 2-43 UFC) by first-round submission (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

Robertson is at her best when grappling, and she put that on display in the evening’s opener, dominating Cachoeira before clamping on a rear-naked choke that elicited the tapout with one second to go in Round 1.

For Robertson, a 26-year-old Canadian who fights out of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, it was her sixth submission among nine pro wins. This win broke a two-fight losing streak.

Cachoeira, 33, from Brazil, saw a two-fight winning streak come to an end. She missed weight on Friday and surrendered 30% of her purse to Robertson.

UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier

Jake Paul gets ready to face Ryan Bourland in his most difficult fight to date

Around the Octagon

Armen Petrosyan fell ill backstage Saturday and had to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Rodolfo Vieira on the UFC Sao Paulo main card, according to the broadcast.

Bobby Green (31-14-1) defeated Grant Dawson (20-2-1) in the first round of the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. A Green straight left hand sent Dawson to the ground, and after a flurry of punishing strikes, the referee stopped the match. Green gets back in the victory column after three fights (2 loses, 1 NC). Dawson’s 10-fight undefeated streak in the UFC ends in just thirty-three seconds.

Scottish lightweight Stevie Ray has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. Ray finishes with a record of 25-13. His stock rose between 2015 and 2017 when he went 5-1 in the UFC, but losses and injuries led to him leaving the UFC and a three-year period of inactivity. He made a strong comeback in PFL in 2022 with back-to-back wins over Anthony Pettis, but went 0-2 in this 2023 regular season.

MMA News

Erin Blanchfield-Manon Fiorot to headline in Atlantic City

The UFC announced Thursday that the previously announced bout between Erin Blanchfield (12-1) and Manon Fiorot (11-1) has been elevated to the headline spot on the promotion’s March 30 Fight Night event in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

UFC, WWE partner on 5-year deal to bring events to Anaheim

The UFC and WWE have signed a joint live event partnership with sports and entertainment district OC Vibe that will bring multiple events from both promotions to Honda Center in Anaheim over the next five years, officials told ESPN on Thursday.

UFC 298: Expert picks, best bets for Volkanovski vs. Topuria

Will Alexander Volkanovski stop the rise of Ilia Topuria? MMA coaches and betting experts offer their analysis of the PPV card.