Charles Oliveira retained the UFC lightweight title by submitting Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 269 on Saturday night, capping off a thrilling night of fights in Las Vegas.
Former interim champion Poirier was challenging for the undisputed belt for the second time in his career, but the American’s newest venture ended the same way as his previous attempt – with the ‘Diamond’ losing via submission. Poirier (28-7) failed to unify the lightweight titles in 2019 as he tapped out to a rear naked choke against Khabib Nurmagomedov, who then fought once more before retiring and relinquishing the undisputed gold.
In the meantime, Poirier fought his way back to the top of the division with three straight wins, including two against old rival Conor McGregor this year. Meanwhile, Oliveira (32-8) claimed the belt vacated by Khabib, knocking out Michael Chandler in May to become lightweight champion. It all led to this highly-anticipated main event in the final UFC pay-per-view of 2021, and the in-ring action delivered on the hype, with a blistering fight ending in the third round as Oliveira submitted Poirier with a rear naked choke.
In the co-main event, Julianna Pena also won via rear naked choke, submitting Amanda Nunes in the second round to become women’s bantamweight champion. The result marked one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Re-live UFC 269 and see all fight results below.
