Author: Dan Hiergesell

Rising middleweight contender Andre Muniz kept things rolling earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 11, 2021) at UFC 269 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the Brazilian finisher stopped veteran Eryk Anders via first-round submission (armbar).

Anders didn’t last long before Muniz used his big frame to drag the veteran to the ground. Muniz quickly moved in position to threaten with submissions and ended up grabbing a hold of one of Anders’ arm. Anders tried to posture and wiggle free, but Muniz stretched it out and secured the dominant finish.

Check out the stoppage below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

For complete UFC 269 results and coverage click here.

The final UFC pay-per-view (PPV) of the year will unfold tonight (Sat., Dec. 11, 2021) at UFC 269 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will pit current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira against top contender Dustin Poirier. In co-main event action, Julianna Pena will try to shock the MMA world with a win over reigning UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes.

Before the two title fights close out the last PPV of 2021 there will be a collection of highly-entertaining matchups from the “Prelims” to the main card. Whether it’s Cody Garbrandt’s flyweight debut against contender Kai Kara-France, Sean O’Malley’s bantamweight clash with Raulian Paiva, or Dominick Cruz’s exciting bout opposite Pedro Munhoz, UFC 269 will deliver from the opening bell.

We will compile the best of the best below — with all video footage courtesy of UFC and ESPN — and will continue to share the action as it rolls in. Enjoy!

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Gillian Robertson def. Priscila Cachoeira via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)

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Tony Kelley def. Randy Costa via second-round TKO (punches and elbows)

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Ryan Hall def. Darrick Minner via Unanimous Decision

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Erin Blanchfield def. Miranda Maverick via Unanimous Decision

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Andre Muniz def. Eryk Anders via first-round submission (armbar)

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Bruno Silva def. Jordan Wright via first-round TKO (punches)

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Tai Tuivasa def. Augusto Sakai via second-round knockout (punch)

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Dominick Cruz def. Pedro Munhoz via Unanimous Decision

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Josh Emmett def. Dan Ige via Unanimous Decision

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Sean O’Malley def. Raulian Paiva via first-round TKO (punches)

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Kai Kara-France def. Cody Garbrandt via first-round TKO (punches)

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Geoff Neal def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via Split Decision

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Julianna Pena def. Amanda Nunes via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)

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Charles Oliveira def. Dustin Poirier via third-round submission (rear-naked choke)

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 269 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

After driving 20 hours from Louisiana to Nevada bantamweight fighter Tony Kelley made the most out of his “Prelims” clash with Randy Costa earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 11, 2021) at UFC 269 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, earning an impressive second-round TKO (punches and elbows).

Costa tried to fix some of his past issues by pacing himself early, but it allowed Kelley to rush inside quickly and wear him down with body punches, short elbows, and knees in the clinch. Costa came alive a little more in the second round before Kelley landed a collection of hard knees inside that brought Costa to the canvas. That’s when Kelley pounced on top and launched a barrage of punches and elbows that eventually scored the stoppage.

Check out the finishing sequence below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

For complete UFC 269 results and coverage click here.

Gillian Robertson set things off earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 11, 2021) at UFC 269 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when “Savage” finished Priscila Cachoeira via first-round submission (rear-naked choke).

Robertson had some difficulty getting inside and taking advantage of her grappling early as Cachoeira did a good job to manage distance and get off some shots. Things eventually slowed and Robertson was able to work the fight to the ground and gain full mount. Cachoeira absorbed some heavy ground-and-pound before working her way back to her feet, but Robertson quickly wrapped her arm around Cachoeira’s neck and dragged her back down. Cachoeira tried to defend the choke with a few illegal eye gouges (later pointed out by color commentator Joe Rogan), but Robertson powered through and found the finish.

Check out the finish below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

For complete UFC 269 results and coverage click here.

A pivotal UFC light heavyweight matchup has been booked for next year as former division champion Jan Blachowicz will meet rising contender Aleksandar Rakic in a main event on Mar. 26. The event will take place from inside the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

UFC officials announced the main event matchup earlier today.

Blachowicz, 38, is coming off a disappointing title loss to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 this past October. The Polish veteran had won fight-straight prior to that loss, including a title fight win over Dominick Reyes and a defense against current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. This is going to be a telling fight for Blachowicz to begin his 2022 campaign as he tries to fight his way back to the title he unexpectedly lost just two months ago.

Rakic, 29, is one of the more promising young contenders in the 205-poind division today. The fighter known as “Rocket” has produced a 6-1 record since his Octagon debut back in 2017. That includes recent back-to-back wins over former title challengers Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith. A victory for Rakic over Blachowicz would almost guarantee him a shot at the light heavyweight crown.

Stick with Mania for more ‘Blachowicz vs. Rakic’ fight card news.

Pedro Munhoz will have a hard puzzle to solve later tonight (Sat., Dec. 11, 2021) at UFC 269 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the bantamweight contender meets former division champion Dominick Cruz in a crucial “Prelims” matchup.

While Munhoz has been competing under the UFC banner since 2014 and has fought the likes of Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, Aljamain Sterling, and Cody Gabrandt, “Young Punisher” has never encountered someone quite as unique as Cruz. After all, Cruz possesses some of the best footwork and movement the sport of MMA has ever seen. He offers specific threats that most fighters don’t, which is why Munhoz had to pull out all the stops for this camp.

Luckily, the UFC veteran was able to utilize the help of fellow MMA standouts Adriano Moraes and Kyoji Horiguchi to help him prepare for “Dominator.” They may not have shown Munhoz the exact same looks that Cruz will, but Munhoz feels prepared for his battle with the former champion.

“[Moraes] is very good at copying, he’s very skilled,” said Munhoz (per MMA Fighting). “Other guys don’t fight exactly like Dominick Cruz but we mixed it up, mixing someone’s power with someone else’s wrestling. Kyoji moves really fast and fights on the outside, so we used that since Dominick fights on the outside.

“Nobody fights like Dominick. So, what does Dominick do? Dominick fights on the outside and needs the distance to fight, and Kyoji also needs the distance to fight. Someone that kind of moves the same way? ‘Mikinho’ [Moraes]. Someone that has quick hands? Someone that has great takedowns? We have 30 here [at ATT]. Someone that has good great jiu-jitsu? Every single person giving their best in training makes me do my 100 percent all the time and get me on a higher level so I can study and prepare my style to fight Dominick Cruz.”

Munhoz, who turned 35 this past September, is in need of a big win after going 2-3 in his last five trips to the Octagon. Those fights have come against the absolute best in the bantamweight division, but Munhoz needs a victory over Cruz to keep himself in the title hunt entering 2022.

That said, Cruz may end up being the toughest fight of Munhoz’s career. Munhoz has the utmost respect for the former UFC champion and his journey back to the top and believes he’ll be fighting a well-prepared Dominick Cruz this weekend at UFC 269.

“After two years away and coming off knee injuries, two or three surgeries, and performing the way he performed against T.J., we can’t treat him like any other athlete,” Munhoz said of Cruz. “He went there and beat the odds. People said he couldn’t take another kick to the knee and he fought T.J. for five rounds, a war. I watched it live in Boston, so, yeah, [ring rust] is bullshit. Just like when people said Aldo was old. If Aldo is old then I’m old too because we have the same age [laughs].

“Casey Kenney is a young athlete, a tough athlete who was coming off wins and great fights, and Dominick was able to take the fight with his technique, experience, tactic and footwork. We’ve been studying to beat him for a while because he’s hard to get hit, hard to get taken down and submitted. It’s going to be decided on the small details, holes in the technique that we’re going to use in our advantage.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 269 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.