Get up to date on the main event of UFC 269 between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.
The main event of UFC 269 will feature a lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira (31-8 MMA, 19-8 UFC) and Dustin Poirier (28-6 MMA, 20-5 UFC). UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier airs live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday, December 11th. The main card will start with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET/7.00 p.m. PT, with the ESPN/ESPN+ prelims beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT and the early prelims kicking off at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT.
How do these two stack up?
Oliveira: 32 years old | 5’10” | 74” reach
Poirier: 32 years old | 5’9” | 72” reach
What have these two done recently?
Oliveira: W – Michael Chandler (TKO) | W – Tony Ferguson (DEC) | W – Kevin Lee (SUB)
Poirier: W – Conor McGregor (TKO) | W – Conor McGregor (TKO) | W – Dan Hooker (DEC)
How did these two get here?
The path to a championship was long for Charles Oliveira, but the arduous journey that spanned a decade was worth it. Oliveira overcame the reputation of a fighter who missed weight and faltered in big fights to go on an unprecedented nine-fight win streak that included submissions over notable names such as Clay Guida, Jim Miller and Kevin Lee. ‘Do Bronx’ even etched his name in the history books by breaking records for most submission wins (14) and most finishes (17) under the UFC banner. His work did not go unnoticed, and Oliveira was given an opportunity to vie for the vacant lightweight championship against former Bellator champion turned UFC ranked contender Michael Chandler at UFC 262 this past May. A few moments in the first round of their fight saw the Brazilian nearly finished by Chandler, but gone were the days of the old Oliveira who would “give up” in grim situations. Oliveira rallied, knocked Chandler out in the second round and won UFC gold. Two months later, his first title challenger in Dustin Poirier was determined.
Poirier has reached the pinnacle of success before, and he must do it again on Saturday night. The ‘Diamond’ has no qualms about that, though. Poirier was fine with taking the road less traveled and met a murderer’s row of former and current contenders in Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez, all of whom have fallen to him. When the time came, he was next in line for a title shot, but then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was unavailable to fight then, so an interim title was created and Poirier took on Max Holloway in a rematch seven years in the making. A dominant showing against Holloway at UFC 236 led to the ultimate crowning moment for Poirier, who left the Octagon with a UFC belt around his waist for the first time. He eventually met Nurmagomedov to unify the titles but fell short and lost to the champion via third-round rear-naked choke at UFC 242. As painful as the loss was, Poirier got back to work and rebounded with wins over Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor, the latter of whom was finished by knockout twice. Those wins solidified his status as No. 1 contender, and Poirier now has a second chance to become the undisputed lightweight champion.
Why should you care?
Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier is mixed martial arts at its finest. Enough said.