Gracious Michael Chandler gives credit after claiming that Charles Oliveira would 'wilt' under pressure at UFC 262
Michael Chandler was gracious in defeat after falling to Charles Oliveira in their scrap for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262. Chandler succumbed to a TKO loss in the second round of a thrilling main event encounter with Oliveira.
At the post-fight press conference, Michael Chandler applauded the undisputed lightweight champ, Oliveira, for his performance in the fight. Chandler admired the Brazilian for overcoming adversity in the first round and spectacularly finishing the fight in the second round.
Chandler also credited Oliveira for doing a good job of defending himself on the ground after being dropped in the first round. Chandler concluded by saying that Oliveira turned out to be much tougher than he'd imagined him to be:
"He showed that he had the gall to get through that. He got dropped, he got hurt, you know. I mean I was on top him. He's really long and did a good job of tying me up so I couldn't really rain down too hard punches but he definitely got through some adversity tonight. He showed tonight that he is tougher than a lot of us thought he was."
Michael Chandler previously claimed Charles Oliveira 'wilts' under pressure
In an interview with MMA Junkie ahead of the fight, Michael Chandler claimed that he's seen Oliveira wilt in fights before. Chandler felt Oliveira was often over-zealous in the early stages of the fight and exhausted himself after the initial exchanges. He said he is just as dangerous as Oliveira in all aspects of the game:
“From the first couple exchanges, don’t let him set the pace, get in his face and quite frankly, I love when a guy comes at me because it puts me in range to land big shots, to land takedowns, get submissions, and do what I need to do because the guy gets overzealous. I’m just as dangerous in all the positions as Charles Oliveira is. It’s not a knock on him. He’s a fast starter. He does tend to fade every now and then, so the good thing is I can keep a good pace for 25 minutes, and that’s the plan."
Well, Michael Chandler's plan clearly didn't work out at UFC 262. Oliveira turned the fight on its head in the second round after almost getting finished in the first. He pressured Chandler and landed a couple of meaty strikes to turn the tide in his favor before finishing with a barrage of hard punches to the face.