Written by Charles Oliveira | Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Charles Oliveira went five rounds for the first time in his 46-fight MMA career this past Saturday to defeat Michael Chandler in the co-main event of UFC 309 in New York, and he had to overcome difficult final minutes and several illegal strikes to come out victorious via decision.
The former UFC lightweight champion said at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference he wasn’t in the mood to criticize Chandler, who he has now beaten twice inside the octagon, but wasn’t happy with his fouls during the match nor Keith Peterson’s work as the referee.
“I don’t like to criticize, I don’t like to say anything, but if you guys saw it, what else am I going to say?” Oliveira said. “I don’t want to criticize anyone, but I was hit too many times behind the head. He grabbed the cage a lot, I was poked in the eye too many times. We’re becoming more professionals every time more and we don’t need any of that. I think the referee could have been more severe. I told him many times what was going on and he stood there looking like nothing was happening.”
Oliveira still won, rebounding from a close decision defeat to Arman Tsarukyan earlier this week and once again putting himself in the No. 1 contender spot against the winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan. The title match is expected for early 2025, and “do Bronx” wants to be sitting front row.
The Brazilian confirmed he had a knee injury in camp that forced him out of training for a while, but his team did a great job helping him navigate through difficult times and stay in the fight. The UFC 309 victory was only Oliveira’s fifth UFC decision in 34 octagon appearances, awarding him a record 20th post-fight bonus, but he was hoping for a definitive stoppage like his first clash with Chandler in 2021.
“I don’t want to go to the end, I come here looking for [the finish] and come hunting at all times,” Oliveira said. “But when we’re talking about two of tough guys and him and I, it happens. We’er talking about MMA and that shows how much I’ve grown in MMA. In the past, I would have rushed for the submission or exploded to get a better position, but now I just wanted to win.”