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

Edward Sutelan

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

This was a night for the underdogs.

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.

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

MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 269 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+

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.

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.

Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform.

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).

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.