NEW YORK – Michael Chandler thinks a lightweight title shot is in his future after Saturday, but his opponent begs to differ about that outlook.
Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) takes on former champion Charles Oliveira in the UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) co-main at Madison Square Garden, and Wednesday he all but predicted he’d be next in line for a shot at the 155-pound belt with a win over the Brazilian.
Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) never lost the lightweight title. He was stripped of it ahead of a defense against Justin Gaethje when he failed to make weight and missed his shot to reclaim it when he lost to current champ Islam Makhachev, considered one of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighters.
Oliveira also has the benefit of a past fight with Chandler on his resume – which he won with a knockout early in the second round. How Chandler sees things going differently perplexes Oliveira. He also thinks his approach to rematches plays in his favor.
“That one has passed. We’re focused on this one right now,” Oliveira said through an interpreter at UFC 309 media day on Wednesday. “That was experience. He’s trying to prove he can beat me. I’m trying to prove I can beat him again. Let’s put that in the past and focus on this one.
“The plan is always to get better. That’s why we go back to the gym – to improve. You work on things you need to. I lost to Jim Miller, I went back, then went out there and beat him. Michael Chandler, I know I beat him. But I’m always getting better.”
Oliveira is more than a 2-1 betting favorite in the fight. Chandler is making his return after a lengthy layoff that included a promised fight against Conor McGregor that never materialized. That, plus Oliveira’s past win over him no doubt plays into the odds.
Since he came to the UFC, the 38-year-old former Bellator champion is 2-3. His most recent win was in May 2022 against Tony Ferguson, who has lost eight straight fights.
“He wants to be a champion for the first time. I want to be the champion again,” Oliveira said. “The champion of the lightweight division has a name – we know this. I beat Michael Chandler once. I’m going to beat Michael Chandler again.
“I think a lot of people come and talk. Everybody comes here and says the same things. They talk the talk. They say they have plans about things, or they’re going to do something. But you have to come here and do things. This is a magical stage – a great place to be with the energy of the crowd. I’m going to be in this fight pushing forward, charging forward.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
