Charles Oliveira faces Michael Chandler for vacant lightweight title
There has not been a UFC lightweight title fight since Khabib Nurmagomedov defended the 155-pound belt with a second-round submission win over Justin Gaethje in October. That changes on Saturday when Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler meet in the main event of UFC 262. Oliveira and Chandler fight for the title left vacant when Nurmagomedov retired.
Oliveira, who has been on the UFC roster since 2010, is on an eight-fight winning streak. No active UFC lightweight has a current winning streak as long as Oliveira’s. The title challenger has not lost since 2017. Oliveira has scored seven submission wins during those eight outings. His most recent win was a decision victory over Tony Ferguson in December.
Chandler, who signed with the UFC as a free agent in 2020, is a three-time Bellator lightweight champion. Chandler made an impressive UFC debut in January when he knocked out Dan Hooker in the first round.
The question heading into this fight is if Chandler can use his striking or if Oliveira will work his ground game. Chandler’s striking was impressive in his brief UFC debut where he landed an average of 4.29 significant strikes per minute, but he also absorbed 3.76 significant strikes per minute.
As for Oliveira’s ground game, he averages 2.64 takedowns per 15 minutes of UFC action and 2.8 submissions per 15 minutes. Oliveira holds the all-time UFC submission record with 14.
Before UFC 262 takes place, take a look at how Oliveira and Chandler matchup in key stats.
UFC 262 takes place at Toyota Center in Houston, TX. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+.