UFC 262 is in the books now and we have a new UFC lightweight champion. Charles Oliveira TKOed Michael Chandler in round 2 to become the 11th undisputed UFC lightweight champion.
It was a crazy back and forth and Oliveira won the fight with the most dramatic comeback in recent times. Michael Chandler was on his way to win the UFC title after a dominant round 1. Chandler knocked down Charles Oliveira and almost finished him with ground and pound. But he made a huge mistake in round 1 and paid a big price for it.
Going into the fight we all knew that Oliveira would present some deadly threats on the ground to Michael Chandler. But, Chandler survived a scary position effortlessly. It was obvious that Chandler was more explosive and stronger on the ground. He easily got out of a submission position in round 1 and hurt Oliveira on the feet.
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Michael Chandler hurt Charles Oliveira badly in round 1
At a moment, it seemed Chandler would finish Oliveira in round 1 with over 1 minute remaining. However, Oliveira pulled guard and Michael Chandler decided to go for the ground and pound instead of making Oliveira stand up and strike.
It was clear that Oliveira was hurt and Chandler could have potentially finished the fight with over one minute remaining. But, Chandler getting into a grappling exchange at the end of the round cost him dearly. Now both Oliveira and Chandler put on a brilliant performance and it will be unfair to pick out these details after his loss. But, looking back Chandler might feel that he had the fight in round 1 but he did not go for the kill in the last minute of the fight.
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On the other hand, Charles Oliveira deserves all the credit in the world for the toughness he showed at UFC 262. He weathered the early storm in round 1 and was able to knock out Michael Chandler, which was unexpected coming into the fight, with a beautiful combination.
The key thing to take away from the fight is Oliveira’s striking. Though it did not look like he has crazy KO power he is extremely technical with his striking. There were a lot of concerns surrounding his chin and durability but he shut down the critics with a violent finish at UFC 262.
