5 Fights to make after UFC 269

#2. Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes 2 – UFC champion vs. champion

Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena - UFC 269 Press Conference

After UFC 269, it’s clear that the rematch between new UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes should be booked.

Pena shocked the MMA world when she did the unthinkable and submitted Nunes in the second round. The fight started with Nunes landing powerful hooks to Pena and in a favorable position to end the first-round. However, Pena looked like a completely different fighter in the second-round. She landed combinations and turned the fight into a slugfest, which exhausted the champion.

Pena took advantage of the fatigued champion by securing a takedown and submitted her with a rear-naked choke shortly after. It was an incredible sight to see as the stunning result was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Although Nunes lost the women’s bantamweight championship, she is still the UFC women’s featherweight champion.

Since both are champions, the rematch would be much bigger as the UFC could promote the bout as champion vs. champion. There are options for the UFC as the rematch could be contested at either bantamweight or featherweight. Nunes challenging Pena for the bantamweight championship or Pena moving up in an attempt at double-champ status both make sense.

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#1. UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje

Topping this list of fights the UFC should make after UFC 269 is UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje. Oliveira had another incredible performance as he successfully defended his title for the first time. It was a crowing moment of sorts for Oliveira as he silenced the naysayers by submitting Poirier. After the main event, it was all but confirmed that Justin Gaethje would be getting the next title shot.

Oliveira vs. Gaethje has the makings of being another entertaining bout. The champion currently holds the record for most finishes in UFC history, which he added to at UFC 269. Gaethje on the other hand, has knockout ability and some of the most vicious striking in MMA.

It’ll be interesting to see how Oliveira deals with Gaethje’s striking compared to how he handled Michael Chandler and Poirier. Gaethje is coming off a unanimous decision win over Chandler, which saw him land a flurry of significant strikes.

Oliveira is looking to further cement his legacy in the lightweight division and a win over Gaethje would do just that. ‘Do Bronx’ is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak and is improving in every fight.