Six Under-The-Radar Storylines For UFC 269

The UFC returns to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the last pay-per-view of 2021, and it is ridiculously stacked top to bottom. UFC 269 is fantastic. In the main event, lightweight champion Charles Oliveira defends his belt for the first time against No. 1 contender Dustin Poirier, who is coming off two wins over Conor McGregor. In the co-main event, the GWOAT Amanda Nunes returns against Juliana Pena. However, if you look past the main and co-main, there are some under-the-radar fights.

The Return of Josh Emmett

After a horrific recovery process for his torn ACL, among other knee injures, Josh Emmett finally returns to action at UFC 269. Emmett was last in action against Shane Burgos in what was a contender for Fight of the Year in 2020. That was 18 months ago. Long layoffs aren’t anything new to Emmett, but this one is horrible because of the recovery process that saw many setbacks. After the fight, he also had a ton of momentum and was on his way for a possible No. 1 contender fight. Emmett also revealed during media day that his older brother and grandpa passed away last year, so he is fighting for more than just himself. How can you not root for him after hearing all of this? Emmett faces No. 9 ranked Dan Ige. This fight is going to be fantastic.

Banger of the Week

Many fights could have been the banger of the week for UFC 269. The one that takes the cake is Jordan Wright vs. Bruno Silva. Wright is must-watch television because he either finishes you in the first round or he gets finished. That’s it. He has a 100% finish rate, has never been to a third-round; in fact, he has only gone 48 seconds into the second round once. He is coming off a TKO win Jaime Pickett at UFC 262. His opponent Silva has finished both of his opponents in his first two UFC fights. He knocked out Wellington Turman in his UFC debut and then got the comeback win over Andrew Sanchez by knocking him out as well. Don’t blink; this fight will not be going to the judge’s scorecards.

The Future vs. The Future

I love Miranda Maverick vs. Erin Blanchfield, but I also hate it. I love it because it is an excellent fight between two young fighters, but I hate it because it could easily take place in a couple of years when they are at the top of the division. I am very, very high on both of these fighters, and I write about them whenever I can. Blanchfield is one the brightest and hottest young prospects – not in women’s MMA but all MMA. She finally made her UFC debut in September and beat down Sarah Alpar. She is just 22 years old. Maverick, who is only two years older, is coming off a robbery loss. At UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw, she lost a split decision against Maycee Barber, but every media member scored it for Maverick. The winner of this fight will most likely break into the top 15.

A Top 5 Flyweight Is On The Early Prelims

MMA can be brutal. We all know this. Alex Perez fought for the flyweight title last December against Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event, and now he is fighting on the UFC 269 early prelims. That is ridiculous! Mainly because he is currently ranked No. 4 in the division. Wild times. Perez was scheduled to face Askar Askarov in July, but Askarov pulled out, and the fight was scrapped. He faces No. 9 ranked Matt Schnell this weekend, and they are finally going to fight. They have been rescheduled 3456 times. Okay, only three times, but you catch my drift. Can we get some respect for top-five fighters?

Can Ryan Hall bounce back?

Ryan Hall suffered his first UFC loss and his first loss in nine years at UFC 264 when Ilia Topuria brutally knocked him out in the first round. Hall was coming off a lengthy layoff in July, so thankfully, he got right back to action! Hall has been in the UFC but has only fought five times, which sucks because he is entertaining to watch. He faces Darrick Minner, who is coming off a loss to Darren Elkins and is looking to bounce back in a big way.

Randy Costa

Randy Costa is another fighter who is must-watch television. He holds a 100% finish rate and has six first-round finishes. He faced fellow fan-favorite Adrian Yanez in his last outing but lost via second-round TKO. Costa faces Tony Kelley on the early prelims. Kelley is coming off a win over Ali AlQaisi but hasn’t fought since last October. This is going to be another banger.

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