Charles Oliveira puts out statement on UFC 309 win moments after demolishing Michael Chandler: "I apologize for your heart rate up"
After his UFC 309 triumph, Charles Oliveira issued a pair of tweets on X/Twitter reflecting on his action-packed bout with Michael Chandler. The two men locked horns for five rounds, during which Oliveira had moments of extended domination, outwrestling 'Iron' throughout.
However, toward the end, Chandler managed to rock Oliveira and seemed to be on the verge of a finish. Fortunately for Oliveira, he Chandler over-swung on a potential finishing sequence, which led to 'do Bronx' taking the back and initiating a grappling sequence to weather the storm.
"I'm back... And I apologize for your heart rate up in round 4th (LOL). But Chandler is tough and hits hard. All respect. God bless us."
The moment Oliveira is apologizing for, however, took place in round five. In a second tweet, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom claimed he will have a front row seat in January, likely for UFC 311, where Arman Tsarukyan challenges Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title.
"1st row in January. Who's nxt?"
Oliveira showed a new wrinkle to his game in his rematch with Chandler, outwrestling a far more decorated wrestler with shocking ease. While 'do Bronx' is known for his grappling wizardry on the mat, he has never been a strong wrestler, at least until now.
Chandler isn't particularly easy to take down either, so the new and improved version of Oliveira will look to either avenge his loss to Makhachev or his other loss to Tsarukyan. With no one else having enthroned themselves as the next title challenger, Oliveira is the only sensible option.
Charles Oliveira's first fight with Michael Chandler was more competitive
The first time Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler crossed swords was in the UFC 262 main event, where they fought for the vacant lightweight title. Round one was all Chandler, who rocked Oliveira with massive shots and dropped him toward the end. The Brazilian, though, weathered the storm.
Check out Charles Oliveira's knockout of Michael Chandler:
In round two, he countered Chandler with a picture-perfect check hook, dropping him. Chandler sprung back to his feet, but it was the beginning of the end, with Oliveira pouncing on a hurt Chandler, dropping him again before TKO'ing him with ground-and-pound.