Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Championship might have been the headliner at UFC 309, but the fight which made the PPV event worth it was undoubtedly the Lightweight bout in the Co-Main Event between Charles “Do Bronxs” Oliveira and Mike “Iron” Chandler. Charles Oliveira won the bout via Unanimous Decision but just the result doesn’t do justice what unfolded in front of the audience on Sunday.
Coming into the Madison Square Garden in New York City, both fighters had something to prove to the world of MMA. From the perspective of Charles Oliveira, it was a chance to prove that he was still one of the elite in the Lightweight division and deserved a shot to reclaim the title he had lost in 2022. For Michael Chandler it was a chance to prove that while he did have a long hiatus from the Octagon, his machoism was still intact and he would still be the ideal candidate to fight Conor McGregor on his much awaited return.
And while Michael Chandler lost the fight convincingly, he still ticked off his objective and made a point in the Octagon. Meanwhile Charles Oliveira not only beat Chandler, but has most likely confirmed himself a title shot in 2025 against Islam Makhachev. Right from the first bell, the fight was so entertaining, that even the UFC Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev tweeted out confirming that he is down to fight the winner of this match.
Islam Makhachev wrote on X, “Chandler vs Olivera 2 is very interesting fight to watch. Get an impressive win and champ might grant you an audience next 😉”. And impressive it was. For the inital 4 rounds Do Bronxs controlled the whole fight on the ground seldom giving Chandler the chance of fighting on the feet. He eventually finished the fight with 5 succesful takedowns, and 2 submission attempts. He also succeeded in landing more shots, 88 compared to Chandler’s 84.
Chandler did get the upper hand on Oliveira in the 5th round briefly when he landed some nasty ground and pound shots on the Brazilian. Many of which were quite controversial as on a different day they could have easily been labelled as illegal shots to the back of the head. But despite this Oliveira fought on.
In the end, thanks to his magnificent conditioning, Michael Chandler survived a knockout or a submission and had to settle for a loss via Unanimous Decision. But that wasn’t before he slammed Oliveira 2 times on his back in a herculean show of strength with Do Bronxs perked up on his back.
With a win yesterday, Charles Oliveira claimed his 20th Fight of the Night in the UFC, a huge feat by any comparison. For Islam Makhachev, Arman Tsarukyan is lined up next. An opponent many believe will be a pushover for the Dagestani. And with Islam Makhachev’s tweet all but confirming an impending matchup with Charles Oliveira, will the Brazilian reclaim his lost Championship Belt in 2025? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
