UFC Fight Tonight: December 11, 2021 - Know the main card fighters competing at UFC 269

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Charles Oliveira (left) and Dustin Poirier (right) [Image courtesy: @dustinpoirier]

UFC 269 is the fight promotion's final pay-per-view event of the year and will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 11, 2021. The event will serve up a total of five fights on the main card, including two championship bouts.

Headlining the UFC 269 main event is a UFC lightweight championship fight between champion Charles Oliveira and challenger Dustin Poirier. The co-headliner will see two-division champion Amanda Nunes put her women's bantamweight title on the line against massive underdog Julianna Pena.

The UFC 269 main card starts at 10 p.m. ET, and fans are looking forward to a long night of intense action. See the full main card below.

UFC 269 main card fighters

Charles Oliveira (C) vs. Dustin Poirier (UFC lightweight championship)

Amanda Nunes (C) vs. Julianna Pena (UFC women’s bantamweight championship)

Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt

Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O’Malley

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Charles Oliveira

The UFC 269 main event will see Charles Oliveira (31-8) defend his lightweight title for the first time since winning it by beating Michael Chandler via second round TKO at UFC 262. The Brazilian is on a nine-fight win streak, which includes victories over the likes of Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee.

Dustin Poirier

UFC 269 will also be a big test for Dustin Poirier (28-6). 'The Diamond' won the interim lightweight title back in April 2019 before losing a unification bout to Khabib Nurmagomedov later that year. The Khabib loss is the only blemish in a five-year period that has seen him beat the likes of McGregor, Gaethje, and Holloway. He now gets a second chance at undisputed UFC gold and is eager to make it count.

Amanda Nunes

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (21-4) will look to further cement her legacy as the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time in the co-main event of UFC 269. The top women's pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC has outclassed almost every opponent in her recent title defenses. Her most notable victories in the bantamweight division include wins over the likes of Holly Holm, Valentina Shevchenko, and Ronda Rousey.

Julianna Pena

Julianna Pena (10-4) happens to be one of the last legitimate contenders that Nunes has yet to face in the bantamweight division. Some of her most notable wins have come over the likes of Cat Zingano and Jessica Eye. It is to be seen if her confidence and strong ground game can offer any threat to Nunes at UFC 269.

Geoff Neal

Geoff Neal (13-4) is looking to rebound after back-to-back decision losses to Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny, the first time he's lost two in a row in his MMA career. The Texan currently has five victories under the UFC banner, which includes wins over the likes of Mike Perry, Niko Price, and Belal Muhammad. He sits at number 12 in the welterweight rankings and will be looking to win at UFC 269 to break into the top 10.

Santiago Ponzinibbio

The ‘Argentine Dagger’ (29-4) was on a seven-fight win streak in the UFC before suffering a knockout loss to Jingliang Li in January this year. However, he has bounced back in the win column after securing a decision win over Miguel Baeza in June. Ponzinibbio now sits at number 14 in the welterweight rankings.

Kai Kara-France

Kai Kara-France (22-9) is ranked number six in the flyweight division. 'Don't Blink' is coming off of a first-round knockout win over Rogerio Bontorin at UFC 259. A win over Garbrandt would probably see him break into the top five and mark him as a legitimate contender in the division.

Cody Garbrandt

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is set to make his flyweight debut at UFC 269. With a total of 10 knockouts in his MMA career, ‘No Love’ has built a reputation as a knockout artist. With a decisive performance, he can put everyone on notice in his new division.

Raulian Paiva

No. 15-ranked bantamweight Raulian Paiva (21-3) has put together three straight wins inside the cage. His major wins in the UFC have come over Kyler Phillips, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, and Mark De La Rosa. He has been stopped only twice in his MMA career.

Sean O’Malley

Contender Series star and flashy bantamweight prospect, Sean O’Malley (12-1) is known for his incredibly diverse arsenal of attacks. He holds victories over Thomas Almeida, Eddie Wineland, and Jose Alberto Quinonez. His only loss came against Marlon Vera. UFC 269 offers the Montana native another chance to add to his burgeoning reputation.

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