UFC 262: Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira
Ready for Chandler vs. Oliveira Free UFC 262 Free Picks and betting odds & predictions? Here is a full breakdown of the leadup, what to expect during the fight, and some logical outcomes.
Event: UFC 262
Date: May 15th, 2021
Time: Main Card: 10 P.M. EST.
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Broadcast: PPV on ESPN+
Main Event: Michael Chandler (+110) vs. Charles Oliveira (-130)
With Khabib Nurmagomedov retiring and vacating the lightweight belt, the most competitive and talent stacked division in all of MMA is looking for a new champion. Two contenders: Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler are both primed to become the champion of the most elite MMA division in the world.
Charles (Du Bronx) Oliveira
Charles Oliveira, undefeated for nearly four years, is looking to extend his win streak to 9 while capturing UFC gold. If he finishes Michael Chandler, he will become the record holder for the most finishes in UFC history, while possibly extending his record of most UFC submission wins from 14 to 15.
This record is already 3 more than the closest competition in Demian Maia at 11. All of these accomplishments were completed by the young age of 31.
An absolute Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom and striking specialist, Charles Oliveira is what you’d expect the result to be if a team of scientists created the perfect offensive fighter in a lab. His jiu-jitsu is so good that he makes other jiu-jitsu black belts look like white belts, as shown in his last performance against Tony Ferguson.
Unceasingly aggressive but extremely technical, Charles Oliveira stalks his opponents, and once the first sign of weakness is exposed, he capitalizes with shockingly precise, creative shots followed up by an even quicker submission. There is not one man in the world who is better at getting ahold of someone, disabling all of their attempts at preventing the inevitable, and putting them to sleep.
One potential weakness is that he gets hit. He has a habit of lowering his hands when throwing leg kicks, and at times, overextends himself when utilizing some of his more dynamic and creative attacks.
Flying knees, spinning back fists, upwards elbows; these are all a part of his arsenal and they are great tools to overwhelm his opponents, but they can also leave him exposed to dangerous counters.
After his last loss in 2017, Oliveira has only been dropped once – but he took the punch as he taunted his opponent while attempting to throw a leg kick. Leading up to this matchup, it will serve him to sharpen up his standup defense while keeping his emotions in check.
(Iron) Michael Chandler
A three-time Bellator World Champion and a D1 All-American wrestler, Michael Chandler entered the UFC in a fashion that every newcomer dreams of. From the beginning of his fight against Dan Hooker, he had him on the back foot, scrambling away from Chandler’s power shots.
Chandler hounded Hooker, pressured him, cracked him with the right, and guided him to a missile of a left hook that dropped Hooker. The fight ended at 2 minutes and 30 seconds into the first round.
“Iron” Mike Chandler has more in common with Tyson than just his name, as he is the definition of explosive. A Pitbull on PEDs, Chandler chases down his opponents and makes them wilt under the pressure he imposes on them. With immense knockout power in both hands, he is the most dangerous punching threat that Oliveira has ever faced. If he knocks out Oliveira, he will extend his KO streak to four.
What makes this matchup so interesting is how each of these fighter’s styles matches up. Oliveira is a submission specialist unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Chandler has an amazing wrestling base, a takedown defense rate of 80%, and has never been submitted in his entire career.
If these qualities keep the fight standing, then it is Oliveira’s crisp and dynamic striking vs. Chandler and the sledgehammers he has for hands. Oliveira is used to fighting shorter opponents and could use his length. He has remarkable front kicks and straight right hands.
Chandler can close the distance in an instant and shut anyone’s lights out with a hook from either hand. Both men don’t go backward and have nothing to lose.
Prediction
This fight is extremely unpredictable. Chandler is a bit of an unknown due to his lack of exposure to UFC-level talent, whereas Oliveira has grown up in the most competitive fighting environment on earth. I think that Oliveira is the better fighter overall but Chandler matches up better in this fight.
He has a good chance at negating Oliveira’s ground game and I believe him to be more dangerous on the feet. Styles make fights, I’m picking Michael Chandler.