Tag: Charles Oliveira

‘The Math Ain’t Mathing’ – Fans React As Michael Chandler Claims He’d Beat Charles Oliveira ‘9 Times Out Of 10’

UFC lightweight Michael Chandler is 0-2 against Charles Oliveira but believes he’d go 9-1 against him. Work that one out. Chandler is currently weeks on from his second defeat at the hands of Oliveira, having been comfortably outpointed across five rounds by “do Bronx” in the co-main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. […]

UFC lightweight Michael Chandler is 0-2 against Charles Oliveira but believes he’d go 9-1 against him. Work that one out.

Chandler is currently weeks on from his second defeat at the hands of Oliveira, having been comfortably outpointed across five rounds by “do Bronx” in the co-main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.

The result was a more emphatic setback for “Iron” than his previous loss to Oliveira, which saw his strong start and near-finish in round one rendered null by a mighty comeback from the Brazilian at UFC 262 in May 2021.

Appearing on Wednesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Chandler reflected on his losing performance in New York City earlier this month.

The former Bellator champion was honest about his display, admitting it fell way short of what he had anticipated and rating it just two out of 10. But Chandler had a more eyebrow-raising figure when it came to a different topic…

“I’m not happy with my performance. I would give myself a two out of 10,” he said. “I cannot overstate how horrible of a performance this was compared to what my vision was for what I’m capable of. I believe I beat Charles Oliveira 9 times out of 10.”

Be it the math that went into that equation or Chandler’s confidence given his losing 2-4 record since joining the promotion, it’s safe to say the MMA fanbase had a field day reacting to the 38-year-old’s remarks.

Michael Chandler Can’t Math, Claims He’d Beat Charles Oliveira ‘Nine Times Out of 10’

Michael Chandler Can't Math, Claims He'd Beat Charles Oliveira 'Nine Times Out of 10'There’s a reason Michael Chandler fights inside a cage instead of teaching grade school math. After sitting on the…

Michael Chandler Can't Math, Claims He'd Beat Charles Oliveira 'Nine Times Out of 10'

There’s a reason Michael Chandler fights inside a cage instead of teaching grade school math.

After sitting on the sidelines for two years trying to coax Conor McGregor into a fight that was never going to happen, the former Bellator titleholder returned to the Octagon at UFC 309 for a rematch with former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

gettyimages 2185186973 612x612 1

The first time around, Chandler damn near finished ‘Do Bronx’ in the opening round. This time, Chandler could barely stay on his feet, getting outwrestled by a jiu-jitsu guy for the majority of their five-round affair in Madison Square Garden.

Looking back on his lackluster showing during a recent interview, Chandler made a rather confusing and downright delusional statement.

“I’m not happy with my performance. I would give myself a 2 out of 10,” Chandler said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I cannot overstate how horrible of a performance this was or the set of circumstances it was after that first round compared to what my vision was for what I’m capable of. I believe I beat Charles Oliveira nine times out of ten. Obviously, I’ve lost to him twice now – two outta two. I have a 100% loss rate to Charles Oliveira, so I understand why people might roll their eyes at that” (h/t MMA Mania).

Somebody tell Mr. Chandler that his math ain’t mathing.

gettyimages 2185185812 612x612 1

Michael Chandler still holding out hope for McGregor Fight

Two weeks removed from fight night, Chandler is still in recovery mode after revealing that he was peeing blood and showed off some gnarly swelling to his left leg.

Chandler is still holding out hope that he’ll get his red panty night against Conor McGregor one day, but the chances of that happening aren’t looking too good these days.

John McCarthy says Michael Chandler is Cooked: ‘He’s Hit Tony Ferguson Status’

John McCarthy says Michael Chandler is Cooked: 'He's Hit Tony Ferguson Status'Former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy thinks Michael Chandler has finally hit Tony Ferguson status. After sitting on the…

John McCarthy says Michael Chandler is Cooked: 'He's Hit Tony Ferguson Status'

Former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy thinks Michael Chandler has finally hit Tony Ferguson status.

After sitting on the sidelines for two years waiting for a fight that never came to fruition, Chandler returned to the Octagon at UFC 309 for a rematch with former lightweight world champion Charles Oliveira. Despite a valiant effort and an electrifying fifth round, Chandler came up short on the scorecards.

Michael Chandler

With the loss, Chandler has lost four of his last five under the UFC banner with his only win during that run coming against Ferguson at UFC 274.

Looking back on the ex-Bellator titleholder’s performance in MSG, McCarthy suggested that Chandler’s career is on a downward trajectory, similar to that of ‘El Cucuy’ who infamously lost eight straight before being shown the door earlier this year.

“Michael Chandler has hit Tony Ferguson status — just being honest … absolutely,” McCarthy said in a recent episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast with Josh Thomson. “Who’s he going to beat? He looked slow. You cannot look slow in the lightweight division. You’re going to die, and he got outwrestled by a jiu-jitsu guy” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Where does Michael Chandler go from here?

Where Chandler goes from here is anyone’s guess.

Unfortunately, ‘Iron’ wasted a large chunk of his time waiting for a fight with Conor McGregor that, in all honestly, was never going to happen.

Michael Chandler

Of course, that didn’t stop Chandler from calling out the Irishman following his latest loss, but we’ve got a feeling the UFC won’t be itching to book McGregor anytime soon after he was found liable for the 2018 rape of a woman inside a Dublin hotel.

With a losing record and rematches against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje unlikely, McCarthy doesn’t quite know where Chandler fits in one of the UFC’s most talent-rich divisions.

“Dustin [Poirier] doesn’t want to fight him again because of the same things that he f*cking ended up doing in the Oliveira fight,” McCarthy said. “Now I always sit there and say, ‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying,’ but don’t sit there and f*cking tell me that he didn’t hit him to the back of the head.

“I don’t give a f*ck if your fist is going on the other side of his ear when your forearm is hitting him to the back of the head, it’s the f*cking back of the head. … I’m not saying he’s got seven losses in a row (like Ferguson) — I’m saying he’s on the same path as Tony Ferguson.”

Michael Chandler

John McCarthy says Michael Chandler is Cooked: ‘He’s Hit Tony Ferguson Status’

John McCarthy says Michael Chandler is Cooked: 'He's Hit Tony Ferguson Status'Former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy thinks Michael Chandler has finally hit Tony Ferguson status. After sitting on the…

John McCarthy says Michael Chandler is Cooked: 'He's Hit Tony Ferguson Status'

Former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy thinks Michael Chandler has finally hit Tony Ferguson status.

After sitting on the sidelines for two years waiting for a fight that never came to fruition, Chandler returned to the Octagon at UFC 309 for a rematch with former lightweight world champion Charles Oliveira. Despite a valiant effort and an electrifying fifth round, Chandler came up short on the scorecards.

Michael Chandler

With the loss, Chandler has lost four of his last five under the UFC banner with his only win during that run coming against Ferguson at UFC 274.

Looking back on the ex-Bellator titleholder’s performance in MSG, McCarthy suggested that Chandler’s career is on a downward trajectory, similar to that of ‘El Cucuy’ who infamously lost eight straight before being shown the door earlier this year.

“Michael Chandler has hit Tony Ferguson status — just being honest … absolutely,” McCarthy said in a recent episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast with Josh Thomson. “Who’s he going to beat? He looked slow. You cannot look slow in the lightweight division. You’re going to die, and he got outwrestled by a jiu-jitsu guy” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Where does Michael Chandler go from here?

Where Chandler goes from here is anyone’s guess.

Unfortunately, ‘Iron’ wasted a large chunk of his time waiting for a fight with Conor McGregor that, in all honestly, was never going to happen.

Michael Chandler

Of course, that didn’t stop Chandler from calling out the Irishman following his latest loss, but we’ve got a feeling the UFC won’t be itching to book McGregor anytime soon after he was found liable for the 2018 rape of a woman inside a Dublin hotel.

With a losing record and rematches against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje unlikely, McCarthy doesn’t quite know where Chandler fits in one of the UFC’s most talent-rich divisions.

“Dustin [Poirier] doesn’t want to fight him again because of the same things that he f*cking ended up doing in the Oliveira fight,” McCarthy said. “Now I always sit there and say, ‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying,’ but don’t sit there and f*cking tell me that he didn’t hit him to the back of the head.

“I don’t give a f*ck if your fist is going on the other side of his ear when your forearm is hitting him to the back of the head, it’s the f*cking back of the head. … I’m not saying he’s got seven losses in a row (like Ferguson) — I’m saying he’s on the same path as Tony Ferguson.”

Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler Describes Charles Oliveira Rematch As His ‘Most Painful’ Fight Yet

Michael Chandler’s latest appearance in the Octagon turned out to be one of the most punishing of his career. Chandler ran it back with his former foe Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 last Saturday, only to fall short in a brutal five-round battle. “Do Bronx” surged out of the gates, dominating […]

Michael Chandler’s latest appearance in the Octagon turned out to be one of the most punishing of his career.

Chandler ran it back with his former foe Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 last Saturday, only to fall short in a brutal five-round battle. “Do Bronx” surged out of the gates, dominating the first four rounds with his striking and then smothering Chandler on the ground.

It seemed like Oliveira was on cruise control toward victory but “Iron” found a second wind in the final round, landing heavy shots that stunned the Brazilian. However, Chandler’s late rally wasn’t enough.

During a recent appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys, “Iron” revealed that his rematch with Oliveira left him with the most severe damage he’s ever experienced in a fight.

The injuries sustained were the worst of his career, bringing with them intense pain, swelling, and a host of other physical setbacks.

“Iron” and Oliveira first collided at UFC 262 in May 2021, where the vacant 155-pound title was on the line. On that night, “Do Bronx” proved to be too much for Chandler and secured a stunning second-round knockout to claim the belt.

At UFC 309, Chandler made his long-awaited return to the Octagon after a two-year hiatus, during which he patiently waited for a high-profile matchup against Conor McGregor.

The former Bellator champion was initially booked to face “The Notorious” at UFC 303 in June, but the fight was ultimately called off after McGregor suffered an injury less than a month before the scheduled bout.

Michael Chandler Says First-Round Injury Affected Performance Against Charles Oliveira At UFC 309

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler believes he fought “23 minutes” of his rematch against Charles Oliveira with a severely compromised leg. Chandler’s negative Octagon record took further damage at this past weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, where he fell to 2-4 since making the switch from Bellator to the sport’s leading promotion a number of years […]

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler believes he fought “23 minutes” of his rematch against Charles Oliveira with a severely compromised leg.

Chandler’s negative Octagon record took further damage at this past weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, where he fell to 2-4 since making the switch from Bellator to the sport’s leading promotion a number of years ago.

In the co-main event at Madison Square Garden, Oliveira added his name to the American’s losing column once again, this time in much more convincing fashion.

While the Brazilian had to mount a memorable comeback to get the better of “Iron” back in 2022, he was on top from the word go when the pair ran it back. And after weathering a late burst from Chandler in round five, “Do Bronx” had his hand raised by way of a lopsided decision.

Given the success and near-title win he had against Oliveira previously, many were expecting more from the ex-Bellator champ. And that was evidently the case for the man himself, who believes he was prevented from competing at his best by a physical issue.

During a recent appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, Chandler suggested that an early grappling exchange with Oliveira in the first round injured his knee, thus preventing him from employing his usual forward-pressure style.

“I think something happened to the knee in that first exchange when he had the leg and I did that full 360, he did a kneebar thing, because I walked back to the stool and I looked down at my left leg and it was not working right,” Chandler said. “It wasn’t stepping, it wasn’t catching, it was unstable, it was weird. … You know what it feels like to be on a solid foundation, to walk forward, move forward, attack, and I just wasn’t. 

“Moving backwards was no problem, so my body and my brain was telling me moving backwards was cool but moving forward, planting and being in his face, pressure — even if you go back and watch the fifth [round] … whenever I was pursuing him, my leg was almost flopping rather than stalking and moving forward,” Chandler continued. “We’ll see what happened, but essentially for 23 minutes of that fight I don’t know if the leg was really working that well.”

Regardless, that won’t affect Oliveira’s celebrations as he looks ahead to an expected showdown opposite whoever emerges from Islam Makhachev’s defense against Arman Tsarukyan with the lightweight gold in their possession.

Chandler, meanwhile, made his intentions for 2025 clear inside the Octagon, once again calling for MMA superstar Conor McGregor to face him for his comeback fight — should that ever happen.