UFC 269: Julianna Pena shocks Amanda Nunes, Charles Oliveira retains lightweight title

Amanda Nunes (left) was unbeaten since 2014 before her defeat by Julianna Pena

Julianna Pena produced one of the biggest shocks in UFC history as she sensationally submitted two-division champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 269.

In the co-main event, Brazilian Charles Oliveira defended his lightweight title with a third-round submission victory over Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas.

Former interim champion Poirier had been favourite heading into the fight.

Pena shocks the world and dethrones 'The Lioness'

Pena showcased her grit, and grappling skills, in the opening round as she effectively defended off her back as Nunes, 33, looked to claim a first-round submission finish.

Then, in a thrilling second round that had the Las Vegas crowd on their feet, Pena stood toe to toe with Nunes and traded punches in a lengthy striking exchange that saw the challenger gradually get the upper hand.

Pena seemingly couldn't miss with her left jab, and eventually broke down 'The Lioness' before taking an exhausted champion to the canvas and locking up a rear-naked choke to force Nunes to tap out and concede defeat.

"I told you. Don't ever doubt me again. Willpower, strength and determination, it will take you places," she declared after her title win.

"She tapped and I asked the commissioner, I said, 'Is it over?' and he said, 'Yes, you won', and I said, 'Oh, that's great'.

"I definitely expected a win and I'm just so grateful. The world is my oyster and you literally have the ability to do anything that you want in this life, and I just proved that tonight."

Poirier fails in second title shot

Dustin Poirier (left) congratulates Charles Oliveira after their fight

Oliveira, 32, turned to his world-class grappling skills to break the resistance of Poirier.

In a breathless opening round, Oliveira repeatedly hurt Poirier to the body with kicks and knees, but the American continued to press forward and land big punches that stunned the champion as the momentum swung back and forth.

Eventually, Poirier dropped Oliveira, but rather than engage with the jiu-jitsu specialist on the mat, he instead waved Oliveira back to his feet and the action resumed.

Oliveira dominated round two, dragging Poirier to the mat as he looked to work his way towards a submission. But Poirier, also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, held on grimly as the champion connected with heavy elbows from the top.

The champion then completed the job in the third round as he took Poirier's back in the opening seconds of the round, then locked up a standing rear-naked choke to force the tap and register a submission win in his first title defence.

Oliveira's victory was the 29th finish from 32 career victories, and his 20th career submission. It was also his 20th win inside the UFC octagon.

"I'm a world champion. I'm the man. They talk. I do it," he said after his win.

"They can hit. They can hit me a lot. But I keep walking forward."

Meanwhile, a crestfallen Poirier was left to ponder what went wrong after falling short in his second title tilt.

When asked what surprised him about the champion, the Louisiana native said: "His durability. I put some good clean shots on him. I thought that was going to get him away in the first round.

"I brawled again when I wasn't supposed to. The gameplan was to take my time and let the fight unfold, take him into the fourth and fifth and pick him apart."

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