Lightweight no 1 contender Justin Gaethje is going to get his title shot at UFC 274 against the current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. From fight fans to the MMA community everyone is waiting for the championship fight to happen. In the meantime, Michael Chandler has shared his opinion on the fight and has predicted who he thinks has the better chance of the two to win at UFC 274.
While talking to Daniel Cormier and Ryan Clark in the DC and RC show MC talked about the championship fight at UFC 274. He said
“I would not have given Charles Oliveira a chance to beat Justin Gaethje up until about the last 12 months. Charles Oliveira has come back essentially from the dead and resurrected his career from the dead. He was spotty, up and down, and could never be relied upon when it comes to performances.”
Certainly, Chandler has a sense there since in the past 12 months Oliveira has beaten Chandler and Poirier both. Charles is currently in a 10 fight win streak in which he has beaten fighters like Ferguson, Chandler, Poirier, Lee, Miller, and many more.
Michael Chandler explains why he believes Charles Oliveira has the edge over Justin Gaethje:
Michael Chandler has fought both Justin and Oliveira last year. So, it is needless to say that the assessment he has over both the fighters is credible.
Chandler further added:
“Just the way that he is turned into a deadly striker as well as one of the greatest submission artists that the sport has ever seen as well as going out there and finishing myself and Dustin. That kind of stuff comes with a little bit of extra confidence each time he steps inside of the octagon.”
Chandler didn’t miss out on mentioning Gaethje’s ability as a fighter. He accepted that Justin is a killer. But, Oliveira has improved a lot as a well-rounded fighter. Such as, even before submitting Dustin Poirier, he outstruck him with his volume. Hence, Chandler thinks that Oliveira has a better chance of defending the title.
“Still, I think I give the edge to Charles Oliveira. He just has too many tools and we all know how Justin Gaethje can win. Charles Oliveira has also proven a lot of us in a lot of the doubters wrong, He’s a lot tougher and a lot more resilient than we thought he was” Said Chandler.
Rightly so, from having a substandard record of 10-8 in the time period of 2010-17 to becoming the world champion and being on a 10 fight win streak needs confidence and resilience. Charles has certainly shown both.
What do you guys think? Who will win the fight at UFC 274? Do let us know in the comment section.
