Written by Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Follow the UFC 309 live blog for Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler 2, the lightweight co-main event this Saturday in New York.
This is a rematch of their May 2021 encounter at UFC 262. On that night, Oliveira survived an early flurry from Chandler to come back for a second-round knockout victory and claim a vacant lightweight title.
Saturday’s bout is to be contested over five rounds.
Oliveira—currently No. 4 at 155 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings and No. 17 on our Pound-for-Pound list—successfully defended the title two straight times, submitting fan favorite lightweights Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. In his past three fights, he lost the championship to Islam Makhachev, bounced back with a first-round TKO of Beniel Dariush, and then lost a competitive split decision to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300.
Both he and Chandler are aiming to put on a performance that keeps them at the front of the title picture. After spending much of the past two years chasing a bout with UFC star Conor McGregor that failed to come to fruition (the two were scheduled to fight at UFC 303 before McGregor withdrew due to an injury), Chandler finds himself with the opportunity to avenge a loss to one of his most decorated opponents. Chandler has lost three of his past four fights, but the former Bellator staple rarely disappoints when it comes to delivering action as he has four post-fight bonuses in five UFC appearances.
Check out the UFC 309 live blog for Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler 2 below.
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