Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira becomes the eleventh fighter to get his hands on the lightweight title after defeating Mike Chandler at UFC 262.
On Sunday, Charles Oliviera (31-8-0) knocked out Michael Chandler (22-6-0) in the second round of the bout to claim the vacant Lightweight UFC title. Oliveira joins greats like Khabib Nurmagomedov in holding the title and becomes only the eleventh individual in UFC history to claim the coveted title. After eleven years with the UFC, Charles Oliveira now finally sits at the top of the Lightweight Division.
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The fight lived up to its expectations and it all started with Oliveira’s leg kick which saw Chandler falling on the floor but the American did well to bounce back from that and landed some solid overhand punches. Chandler then attempted a guillotine on the submission specialist who got away with the lock and turned it around. Once Oliveira was on Chandler’s back, he locked in a submission but this time, it was the American who made his way out of it. Both of them got back on their feet, and Chandler who had a clear power advantage over Charles landed a flurry of punches but the experienced Oliveira did well to see it to the end of the round.
Everyone was shocked seeing how the first round ended as no one thought that Chandler could cause Oliveira any damage. But as we’ve learnt, things can change quickly in the UFC, and one big left from Oliveira was all it took to turn the fight in his favour. Once that punch connected, the Brazillian kept throwing punches at Chandler until referee Dan Miragliotta intervened to put an end to the fight.
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In the post-match interview, Oliveira said, “Michael you’re a great champion, but today was my day. Favela, it’s ours. Michael said I couldn’t take pressure and he hit, hit, hit, and I’m still here. Jesus, here’s the belt. Thank you, Houston, thank you Brazil, this belt is for all of us.”
[Image Credit: Charles Olivera]
Shashank Iyer