What a night of fights and what a way for UFC 269 to end and put a stamp on arguably the greatest pay-per-view run the UFC has ever seen from UFC 266 to now. This matchup between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier was a toss-up to so many people across media and fanbases, but all knew it would be a great fight, and that is what it was for as long as it lasted.
Charles Oliveira Submits Dustin Poirier, Creates His Own Destiny
A star-studded UFC 269 eagerly anticipated the main event between these two lightweight legends, but what the likes of Halle Berry, Jared Leto, and David Spade did not expect was how easy Oliveira would make the finish look after the first two rounds.
Round one saw Poirier knock Oliveira down not once but twice, and both times he could not finish him despite lending clean shots on the ground. Oliveira showed he has the heart of a champion, though, and was able to turn a potential 10-8 round into a 10-9 round because he was able to stay outside of Poirier’s punches and used some bodywork to earn some points. He was using front kicks and knees to the body to hurt Poirier and make him question coming in, and it was something his corner wanted to see more of.
In round two, however, it was a sort of round that had many people wondering what was happening with Dustin Poirier, and if he was hurt. Oliveira worked more front kicks to the body into his attack, and eventually, Poirier had enough of it and ended up on the ground, with Oliviera earning top position. He seemed comfortable on the bottom and did not work too much. Many people on social media and on the broadcast were confused, but between rounds, Poirier’s corner explained that was what they wanted.
After the Khabib Nurmagomedov fight, Dustin Poirier realized that scrambling put him in disadvantageous positions, so he decided to hold guard and not risk losing by submission.
The only problem was in round three, he just could not handle the grappling and submissions of Oliveira against the cage.
Charles Oliviera made it look effortless taking Poirier’s back while standing and sunk in the rear-naked choke, getting the Louisiana native to submit. In doing so, the Brazilian proved he is a legit champion in the UFC despite everyone treating Poirier as such.
Charles Oliveira now has 20 finishes in his UFC career, 18 of which are submissions. He is now without a doubt the best 155’er on the planet, but he will be tested again quickly by an eager Justin Gaethje.
A new challenger approaches? 👀
[ @CharlesDoBronxs @Justin_Gaethje | #UFC269 ] pic.twitter.com/YL7ppEbl9h
— UFC (@ufc) December 12, 2021
Credit to Dustin Poirier as well, though, as he fought a great fight and promised post-fight to donate $20,000 to a charity of Oliveira’s choice in his hometown in Brazil.
Despite losing his chance at the belt, Poirier hasn’t lost his championship morals. For now, though, it is the era of “Do Bronx” and he has no intentions of letting his title go anytime soon.
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