Matchmaker Monday following UFC 269
UFC 269 was a great night for fight fans all around the world.
The last pay per view of 2021 ended with Charles Oliveira defending his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier.
While those two ended the event, it was Julianna Peña who stole the show as she upset Amanda Nunes to claim the bantamweight championship.
Now that the event is over, let’s find out what’s next for the men and women that were involved in the title fights at UFC 269 on this edition of Matchmaker Monday.
Charles Oliveira
Next: Justin Gaethje
Oliveira proved that he’s the real deal. All fight week he looked confident and on fight night he delivered a great performance to make his first title defense.
As for what’s next, it seems pretty clear that Gaethje is next.
Gaethje is currently ranked No. 2, he’s coming off a win and he’s a former interim lightweight champion.
This division is deep, but the next few moves appear to be clear as Gaethje is next and after him will likely be the winner of Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush.
Dustin Poirier
Next: loser of Makhachev and Dariush
UFC 269 ended in heartbreak once again for Poirier as it marked the second time that he lost his lightweight championship bid.
Up, next a move to 170 pounds is definitely on the table, but Poirier may give 155 another shot as he’s a win or two away from getting a third shot at lightweight gold.
If that’s the case, expect him to fight the loser of Makhachev and Dariush. A wildcard here is Rafael Dos Anjos, who has been trying to fight someone in the top five, is a former champion and the two have never fought.
Julianna Peña & Amanda Nunes
Next: rematch
Peña has been calling for this fight for a long time now and she kept telling everyone that she would be the one to beat Nunes.
Of course, many people didn’t believe her and now all the doubters were wrong as she submitted Nunes at UFC 269 to hand the GOAT her first loss in seven years.
The next move is obvious and that is a rematch. Nunes absolutely deserves one and without a question she will get one as long as she choices to keep fighting.
The only question is which weight class the fight happens at. That was Nunes first time making 135 pounds in over two years and her performance was far from on point. The likely hood is that the fight happens at bantamweight, but Nunes also holds the featherweight title so don’t be shocked if they fight at 145 pounds.
