According to his countrymen, former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Charles Oliveira will not disappoint come Saturday.
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With Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic drawing up most of the attention for UFC 309, the co-headlining affair between Oliveira (34-10, 1 NC) and Michael Chandler (23-8) is flying a bit under the radar. The two first met at UFC 262, with Chandler posing a significant challenge to “Do Bronx.” Before getting knocked out early in the second frame, the ex-Bellator MMA champion dominated the first five minutes while earning a 10-8 score on two judges’ scorecards.
On Saturday inside of Madison Square Garden in New York, the two will clash again, with the victor likely earning the opportunity to fight for the lightweight belt. While no title is on the line this time, the organization has granted it five-round status. Sherdog spoke to multiple Brazilian specialists about this rematch, with UFC fighters and trainers weighing in on the exciting collision.
Caio Borralho, UFC fighter: “Chandler has a lot of wrestling quality and KO power, but sometimes he is kind of dumb when it comes to tactical plans, always putting [on a] show [while] forgetting his best weapon. Actually, even if he takes Charles down, ‘Do Bronx’ gets really comfortable with his back on the mat. I think everything will depend on Charles’ motivation, because he got the bonus record, and already got the belt. He has absolutely nothing to prove. Maybe his son who was just born can be his biggest motivation as he said. [On] the other hand, Chandler knows that all his future plans depend on winning the revenge next Saturday.”
Gilbert Burns, UFC fighter and former teammate of Chandler: “I’ve helped Chandler for his first fight with Charles, but we didn’t train together at this camp. I can tell Chandler was in wonderful shape in the first one, but this time I see him even more dangerous for three reasons: First, he is away from the Octagon for two years, [which means] two years without being knocked down, [which] can be really good to improve your punch absorption; second, he kept himself in very good shape without getting hurt; and three, he knows that this will be his last opportunity, what surely made him train harder than ever, making him even more dangerous.”
Rafael Cordeiro, Kings MMA head coach: “The first fight Charles got a beautiful KO, I see him [taking] the back and submitting Chandler in [this second fight].”
Carlos Barreto, former UFC fighter and UFC Fight Pass commentator: “I see Charles frustrating Chandler’s takedowns, his back and submitting [Chandler]. I believe so because Chandler always turns on the brawler mode, but if he is able to follow the right tactical game, doing what Tsarukyan and Islam did, he can [have] a totally different fight than the first one. But concerning the way Chandler always fights; I believe he won’t be able to do so for 25 minutes. I believe Charles will submit and [go up two wins to none] Saturday.”
