Author: Dan Hiergesell

Sean O’Malley is once again returning to the Octagon spotlight later tonight (Sat., Dec. 11, 2021) at UFC 269 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as “Suga” meets bantamweight upstart Raulian Paiva in main card action.

While this is another big opportunity for O’Malley to shine on a massive PPV card the surging contender can’t help but think about the future. O’Malley already considers himself the UFC’s “unranked champ,” but he wants to eventually take on the current UFC bantamweight champion, Petr Yan.

Yan, who has proven to be one of the very best fighters in the world today, has already defeated the likes of Jose Aldo, Cory Sandhagen, Uriah Faber, and Jimmie Rivera. He’s undoubtedly one of the hardest puzzles to solve in MMA right now, but O’Malley believes he’s a “different animal” than Yan’s past opponents and would give the champion a real run for his money.

“I want to fight Petr Yan. I know he’s the champ and you have to beat certain people to get that fight, but that’s a fight I want eventually,” O’Malley told ESPN earlier this week. “Even if he’s not the champ, that’s a fight I want. I think he’s one of the best pound-for-pound, top-three fighters in the world. I love his style, his boxing, the way he switches stances, covers up, his defense. He’s just so good. Every time he gets in there, it’s impressive. I like his humor, too. Obviously there’s a language barrier, but I enjoy his comedy on Twitter. He calls me a poodle. I find him very funny.”

“I can compete with Petr,” he added. “He has more high-level experience with guys – (Jose) Aldo, Cory (Sandhagen), Urijah (Faber). … But I think I’m just a different animal.”

O’Malley, who wants to get paid more before fighting ranked competition, will have his hands full later tonight at UFC 269 when he meets Paiva on the UFC’s final PPV card of 2021. If “Suga” is able to win that fight and push his current win streak to three he’d almost have to get a shot at the top 15 his next time out. A few more wins after that and the young bantamweight could find himself close to a title shot, and Yan.

What do you think, fight fans? Would O’Malley give Yan a run for his money?

Let us know in the comments below!

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+.

It all goes down this evening (Sat., Dec. 11, 2021) at UFC 269 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as Charles Oliveira defends his UFC lightweight title for the very first time against perennial contender Dustin Poirier. Reigning UFC double champ Amanda Nunes will also be in action as she puts her women’s bantamweight title on the line against Juliann Pena.

In addition to the two title fights, UFC 269 will feature a collection of high-profile names. With the likes of Cody Garbrandt, Sean O’Malley, Dominick Cruz, Dan Ige, Geoff Neal, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and the returning Josh Emmett, UFC’s end-of-year PPV card is absolutely stacked.

Take a look below at UFC 269’s complete fight card line up and start times:

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT

Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier
Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena
Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt
Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O’Malley

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN2/ESPN+)
8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT

Josh Emmett vs. Dan Ige
Pedro Munhoz vs. Dominick Cruz
Augusto Sakai vs. Tai Tuivasa
Jordan Wright vs. Bruno Silva

Early ‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+)
6:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. PT

Andre Muniz vs. Eryk Anders
Miranda Maverick vs. Erin Blanchfield
Ryan Hall vs. Darrick Minner
Randy Costa vs. Tony Kelley
Gillian Robertson vs. Priscila Cachoeira

Online

• UFC 269: “Oliveira vs. Poirier” PPV main card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
• Subscriptions cost $5.99 per month. The UFC 269 PPV will cost $69.99 for current subscribers.
• UFC 269: “Oliveira vs. Poirier” undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN+ as well.

Television

• UFC 269: “Oliveira vs. Poirier” undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN2. Check your local providers or click for instant access to ESPN HERE.
• UFC 269: “Oliveira vs. Poirier” can also be streamed via Xbox One, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and ChromeCast.

Tablet/Mobile

• UFC 269: “Oliveira vs. Poirier” PPV main card and undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN+ streaming app through Google Play and iTunes stores.

International Viewing Options

Bars

• Stay home, be safe. But if you really, really need to go out and watch UFC 269 there is a list of bars near you airing “Oliveira vs. Poirier” right here.

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+.

The final UFC pay-per-view (PPV) of 2021 will unfold later tonight (Sat., Dec. 11, 2021) as UFC 269 goes down live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The end-of-year card will feature a main event bout between UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and top contender Dustin Poirier, as well as a co-main event clash featuring UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and veteran Julianna Pena.

In advance to tonight’s action, UFC has released the latest and greatest episode of UFC 269 “Embedded,” which can be seen in the above video player. This time around the action focuses on final fight preparations, weight cuts, and some very intense staredowns. Not to mention all the behind-the-scenes action we’ve grown to love.

From the official YouTube description:

Amanda Nunes and Sean O’Malley finish their camps at the UFC Performance Institute. The stars of UFC 269 make weight Friday morning then make their way to MGM Grand Garden Arena for a ceremonial weigh-in packed with fans.

If you misses Episodes 1-5 click here, here, here, here, and here.

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+.

Dustin Poirier is not the only fighter who has a lightweight title shot hanging in the balance later tonight at UFC 269 later this evening (Sat., Dec. 11, 2021) live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to MMA analyst Chael Sonnen, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor has a huge stake in tonight’s title fight between “Diamond” and current 155-pound king Charles Oliveira. That’s because a win for Poirier may mean McGregor never gets a crack at the UFC lightweight title again.

That’s because McGregor is coming off back-to-back TKO losses to Poirier earlier this year and is quickly falling out of contention in the stacked lightweight division. If “Diamond” wins the title it’s going to be very hard for McGregor to lobby for a fourth fight against Poirier when he’s the champ.

“No, I don’t think so – I really don’t,” said Sonnen during recent appearance on the MMA Hour when asked if McGregor will ever fight for another UFC title. “Look, if you ever have a No. 1 guy, and he slides down to No. 4, he slides down to No. 5, he’s never getting his spot back. And that’s across the board in sport. Now Conor has already done — much like Jon Jones, in fairness — he’s already done a lot of things that no other man can do. So I’m very open to the idea. I just know that Conor lost a level of discipline, it appeared, when he got to a different position in life, to a different status. It looked like he lost some discipline from where I was sitting.

“Now it’s not a choice. It was a choice to go to the gym and train hard back when he was healthy, and he didn’t do enough of it. Now, it’s not a choice. And I can tell you no human being can get better at something by not doing it. I think that Conor is still wonderful. I think he’s got a very special place. It’s not only within the sport, which is at the very top, but also within the rankings, this a damn good fighter. But you’re talking about a ‘55-pounder, which is the hardest and deepest division this sport has ever seen. Not just the organization, the industry as a whole — 155 is the deepest that it comes.

“Conor’s pretty set on fighting Dustin Poirier,” Sonnen continued. “If Poirier beats Oliveira, as the oddsmakers think he’s going to do, I don’t think there’s a scenario where Conor comes back, even for a grudge match, into a title fight. That’s a tough sell.”

McGregor, who snapped his leg in his most recent loss to Poirier at UFC 264 this past July, is making good progress in his recovery. “Notorious” is expected to return to sparring this coming April and is already targeting an immediate title shot upon his return. It’s unknown if that’s something UFC is willing to grant its biggest star, but a Poirier loss at UFC 269 this weekend would only help McGregor’s chances of returning to UFC gold.

As for Poirier’s fight with Oliveira later tonight, Sonnen believes “Diamond” will have enough to offer the champion to steal his belt away. That’s if Poirier can stay off his back and stop Oliveira from using his world-class grappling.

“I am picking Dustin,” Sonnen said. “I’m not bullish on that. He’s going to lose a lot of this fight. He’s going to lose exchanges if Dustin gets taken down, and Oliveira did show us a brand new skill set in his fight with Tony Ferguson, which was to walk him to the cage, get to that double [leg] — never missed. He saw five shots in that fight, he got five takedowns. That’s meaningful, because I didn’t know the wrestling of Oliveira was quite that good.

“If he does get on top of Poirier or anybody else, they are likely to stay for the duration of the round and lose said round. So Poirier really needs to get it done on his feet, and that’s not just with the kicks and the knees and the elbows. It’s specifically with left and right hands. And I think Oliveira’s a lot better than people give him credit. He’s inconsistent, at least compared to Poirier. This fight could go either way. You’re asking me, I’m putting the [Sonnen picks] curse on Poirier. But boy, it’s a lot harder fight than people know.”

What say you, Maniacs? Do you think McGregor ever gets another UFC title shot, especially if Poirier wins the belt?

Sound off!

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+.

Tyron Woodley will have another chance to knock Jake Paul’s head off when the two fighters meet in a boxing rematch next weekend live on Showtime pay-per-view (PPV). Luckily, the former UFC welterweight champion will also have a chance to earn an extra $500,000 in the process.

Paul, who was originally scheduled to fight Tommy Fury later this month, sweetened the pot for “Chosen One” when he was asked to step up on short notice and fill in for the PPV headliner. Not only will Woodley be paid his regular fight purse, but he stands to collect $500K if he’s able to knock Paul out.

While Paul is trying to silence the critics who believe he puts a “No Knockout” clause into his contracts Woodley is simply chomping at the bit for the opportunity to make more money.

“At the end the of the day, you put a bag on your own head,” Woodley told MMA Fighting earlier this week. “Sh*t, I’m completely all about taking that free money. I had plans on doing that anyway, but if he wants to entice me a little bit more.

“You don’t offer a kid from Ferguson half a bag to go out there and do what he wanted to do anyway. So it does put motivation. You don’t put a bounty on your own f*cking head and think I’m not going to take it.”

Woodley, who lost to Paul via split decision in their first fight this past August (highlights HERE), jumped at the chance to sign the dotted line and compete against the social media star once more. Earning another massive payday live on PPV was just icing on the cake for the former UFC king.

“For sure, I’m motivated by money,” Woodley said. “I’m motivated by legacy. I’m motivated by greatness. I’m motivated by redemption. So when people say it’s not about the money for me, they’re f*cking lying. Why would you be prizefighting if you didn’t want to get a prize?

“Sometimes it’s about the principle. When you feel like you’re at a certain level, you feel like you’re at a certain point of your life and your career, you want the bag to match where you feel like you’re at, it’s just kind of a personal matter behind it. Definitely it’s additional motivation. You’ll see me walking away with another $500,000.”

Outside of the money that can be made by knocking out a YouTube star Woodley has a real chance to save some face next weekend on PPV. After ending his UFC career on a four-fight losing streak and dropping his professional boxing debut to Paul there’s a lot to fight for if you’re “Chosen One.”

“The fact that Jake Paul can walk around and say he beat me f*cking just boils my skin and blood and everything inside of my body,” Woodley said. “I’m trying to go out there and make it clear that I’m the better fighter, I’m the harder puncher and I’m the professional out here.”

Dustin Poirier plans on still fighting despite the outcome of his lightweight title fight with champion Charles Oliveira this weekend at UFC 269. That is music to the ears of fight fans everywhere considering “Diamond” has hinted at potential retirement in the past.

Luckily, Poirier plans to continue his UFC career beyond 2021. As someone who has been perched atop the toughest division in MMA for years “Diamond” is simply looking to decrease the number of times he enters the cage. Unlike other fighters who push their bodies until the wheels fall off Poirier is hoping to escape the fight game with everything in tact.

“I see a lot of fighters try to get every last drop out of their careers and leave a lot of themselves out there. I don’t want to do that,” Poirier told Bisping during a recent interview for BT Sport. “I’ve been fighting a long time. I had my first fight at 18 years old.”

“I don’t think I’m going anywhere. I think I might fight less frequent. I just love fighting, it’s who I am. Win, lose or draw Saturday night, I’m not gonna be fighting three times a year, moving forward.”

Poirier, who turns 33 in January, will be fighting for the third time this year when he meets Oliveira for the lightweight title at UFC 269 in Las Vegas. His other two Octagon appearances came against rival and fellow lightweight contender Conor McGregor. Poirier ended up knocking McGregor out in their rematch at UFC 257 this past January and then he defeated “Notorious” again via TKO at UFC 264 in their trilogy fight. McGregor did snap his leg in that matchup, but Poirier was in control of the action before the shit hit the fan.

Needless to say, there’s still unfinished business between Poirier and McGregor. It’s too early to tell when or even if the fourth fight will ever take place, but Poirier has no issue acknowledging his undying feud with McGregor and eventually running things back.

“We can fight five more times, I don’t think it’s ever gonna be settled. It’s just one of those rivalries that’s gonna be forever.”

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+.