Amanda Nunes is widely considered the greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time, and she will look to enhance her reputation yet again tonight, as she defends her bantamweight title against Julianna Pena at UFC 269.

Nunes (21-4), who also holds the UFC women’s featherweight title, is unbeaten since 2014, holding wins over Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg and Valentina Shevchenko – among others, with most of those marquee victories coming via stoppage. Meanwhile, Pena (10-4) is 2-2 in her last four fights, as she becomes the latest underdog to try to upset the odds against the dominant Brazilian, who has 17 finishes to her name.

The American, who is of Mexican and Venezuelan descent, told The Independent this week: “I’m not Nostradamus, I can’t predict exactly how it’s going to happen, but I predict a win. If I knock her out with my pinky finger, are you going to tell me it’s wrong?” Elsewhere, the main event sees Charles Oliveira defend his lightweight belt against former interim champion Dustin Poirier, and the rest of the card at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena is stacked from top to bottom.

Follow live updates and results from UFC 269 below.

UFC 269

Here’s our main event preview for UFC 269. It begins with a look back at the night Dustin Poirier became interim UFC lightweight champion in April 2016.

Six times, Dustin Poirier slapped the heavy gold belt around his waist. Just to check it was real.

Stood in the middle of the Octagon, the heat of the arena lights sweltering around his head, his face was a canvas shimmering with sweat yet – somehow – simultaneously dulled by bruises. Tears streamed into the cuts under his eyes.

The American’s chest was raw, a patch of stinging skin highlighting the words inked upon it: “Parker Noelle”, the name of Poirier’s young daughter.

“I feel like I’m in a dream right now,” a then 30-year-old Poirier told Joe Rogan and the enamoured crowd in Atlanta, Georgia.

“This is my belt. I earned this in blood, I paid in full. This is mine,” Poirier continued, as if still raging against some spectral force. Somehow, it seemed, the energy expended moments earlier in his 25-minute war with Max Holloway was not all that the American had to give.

Full piece here:

Dustin Poirier cannot expect automatic inauguration against Charles Oliveira

Many fans see Poirier as lightweight champion in waiting, but current title holder Oliveira is as dangerous as they come

UFC 269

Next up, another exclusive interview.

We spoke to former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt about his flyweight debut against Kai Kara-France this evening, as well as his friendship with cancer survivor Maddux Maple, and his three-and-a-half years without a win between 2017 and 2020.

“One thousand two hundred days of… lot of pain. A lot of soul-searching. There was a lot of good that came out of it, too, a lot of things that I had to change. And my son was brought into the world. I had some injuries that sidelined me for a while, so I got to spend time with him. Timing is everything. I was able to be there for the early months of his life, I learned a lot about being a father.

“I wouldn’t change anything. I would go through it all again.”

Full interview here:

Cody Garbrandt: ‘I went through 1,200 days of pain, and I’d do it again’

Exclusive interview: The former bantamweight champion has moved on from his losing streak and is ready to tackle a new division, starting at UFC 269

UFC 269

We’ve had have some cool UFC 269-related content for you this week. If you missed any of it, we’ll be sharing it here across our next few posts.

First up, an exclusive interview with Julianna Pena, who challenges Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight strap in tonight’s co-main event.

The American, a huge underdog this evening, told The Independent this week: “I’m not Nostradamus, I can’t predict exactly how it’s going to happen, but I predict a win.

“If I knock her out with my pinky finger, are you going to tell me it’s wrong?”

Julianna Pena: ‘I’m not Nostradamus, but I predict a win against Amanda Nunes’

Exclusive interview: At UFC 269, bantamweight Pena challenges the consensus greatest women’s MMA fighter of all time

UFC 269

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is the site of UFC 269 tonight, and the final big event of the year is expected to be one of the most intriguing of the last 12 months.

In the main event, Dustin Poirier faces lightweight title holder Charles Oliveira as the Louisianan attempts to finally become undisputed champion – having only ever won the interim belt.

In the co-main event, dual-weight champion Amanda Nunes puts her women’s bantamweight title on the line against Julianna Pena, who will seek to end the Brazilian’s 12-fight win streak, which dates back to 2014.

Elsewhere on the card, former bantamweight champions Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt are in action – the latter making his flyweight debut – while the 135lbs division’s rising star Sean O’Malley steps back into the Octagon.

There are also a number of other names to look out for and intriguing bouts set for UFC 269.

We’ll have live updates all night.

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