5 incredible UFC fights to look forward to before the end of 2021

#2. Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena - UFC women's bantamweight title

Can Julianna Pena upset Amanda Nunes at UFC 269?

On the face of it, UFC 269’s bantamweight title bout between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena might be one of the least intriguing UFC title fights in recent memory.

Pena is a great fighter in her own right and she clearly deserves plenty of respect. She won TUF 18 back in 2013, holds an octagon record of 6-2 and has only ever lost to a pair of UFC champions in the form of Valentina Shevchenko and Germaine de Randamie.

‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ also looked excellent on her most recent trip to the octagon, defeating Sara McMann via rear-naked choke in the third round at UFC 257.

Is she really likely to dethrone Amanda Nunes, the greatest female fighter in MMA history, though? To be frank, it’s doubtful.

The 'Lioness’ has no weaknesses, hits harder than any other female fighter in UFC history and is very dangerous on the ground too. Incredibly, she’s defeated no fewer than six former or current UFC champions during her time in the promotion.

However, this fight remains a must-see for a couple of reasons. Firstly, any fight involving Nunes is a chance for fans to watch an all-time great in action. Nobody can really be sure how much longer she’ll be fighting, so fans should enjoy the Brazilian while they still can.

Secondly, of course, there’s always the chance of a shocking upset, even in a fight like this. In a world where Matt Serra can beat Georges St-Pierre and Glover Teixeira can win UFC gold at the age of 42, anything is possible, even a Pena win.

Overall then, this remains one of the best fights yet to come in 2021.

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#1. Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier - UFC lightweight

Dustin Poirier has defeated Conor McGregor on two occasions this year

Comfortably the biggest and most intriguing fight remaining in 2021 is the UFC lightweight title clash between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. Any UFC title fight is always worth watching, but this one feels genuinely special.

Both Oliveira and Poirier can probably count 2021 as the best years of their UFC careers thus far. With that in mind, a win in this bout would undoubtedly cement that idea.

Oliveira has only fought once thus far, but that single fight was a blockbuster one against Michael Chandler for the UFC lightweight title vacated by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Early on it didn’t look like it would end well for him, as he was knocked down in the opening round.

However, after surviving some serious punishment, he turned the tables and knocked out ‘Iron' to claim the belt. The win put ‘Do Bronx’ on a run of nine straight wins, cementing his spot at the top of the division.

Poirier, meanwhile, famously defeated Conor McGregor on two occasions, stopping him at both UFC 257 and UFC 264 in largely one-sided fashion.

However, how well ‘The Diamond’ can deal with Oliveira’s submission-based attacks, particularly now the Brazilian seems to have dangerous striking too, remains a major question mark.

Not only should this fight be an amazing one, but with fighters like Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev waiting in the wings, it could well set the tone for the UFC in 2022 too, making it a can’t miss for fans.