UFC Predictions: UFC 262: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler Predictions & Picks
After two weekends with UFC Fight Night shows, it’s time for another pay-per-view (PPV) as the MMA promotion visits Houston, Texas for UFC 262: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler.
UFC 262’s main event sees the vacant UFC lightweight title on the line as Charles Oliveira faces Michael Chandler, while the undercard is pretty stacked too.
So without further ado, here are the predicted outcomes for the PPV:
#1 UFC lightweight title: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
With UFC President Dana White finally accepting former UFC lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to retire from MMA, a new lightweight champion will be crowned.
Is this the best title fight the UFC could have made? It’s debatable.
Oliveira, on the back of a lengthy eight-fight win streak, is definitely deserving of a shot.
However, Chandler has fought just once in the UFC. And while he knocked out Dan Hooker impressively and was a former champion in Bellator, it’s a little harder to justify his position.
A better title fight would probably have been Oliveira against Dustin Poirier. But with 'The Diamond' preoccupied with Conor McGregor, the truth is that this kind of works.
So how do the two lightweights match up? Overall, it’s an excellent clash of styles. Both men are aggressive to a fault, have skills in all areas, but neither is the most durable – making it tricky to pick a winner.
The harder hitter is probably Chandler. He’s got the kind of one-shot knockout power that’s impossible to teach. And while we saw it in the UFC against Hooker, he’s also shown it off plenty of times in Bellator too.
However, it could be argued that the more technical striker is Oliveira.
That’s surprising given that he’s got a total of four KO or TKO losses to his name. However, 'Do Bronx' has improved dramatically over the years on the feet and now packs a real wallop from all areas, particularly in the clinch.
On the ground, meanwhile, Oliveira clearly has the advantage, even if Chandler is a good submission fighter in his own right. Charles Oliveira is the most prolific submission artist in UFC history, with 16 submission wins to his name.
The big question, though, is whether Oliveira can get Chandler down. 'Iron' Mike is a four-time NCAA Division I All-American in wrestling and is arguably one of the most credentialed lightweights in UFC history in that regard.
It is worth noting, though, that Oliveira’s wrestling has improved dramatically in its own right. Most recently, we saw 'Do Bronx' take down Tony Ferguson with relative ease. He’s also handled the likes of Jim Miller and Nik Lentz in that area.
Overall, Oliveira ought to be favored in this fight. He’s the more proven fighter in the UFC, a far better submission grappler, and could emerge as the better striker too.
But 'Do Bronx' has been stopped by strikes before and, historically, isn’t the most durable fighter in the 155lbs division. That gives Chandler a big-time puncher’s chance, particularly when you consider how hard he hits.
Add in the fact that Chandler has never been submitted in MMA, and it does seem like a trickier fight for 'Do Bronx' than people might initially think.
Despite this, it’s nearly impossible to pick against a fighter who dealt with Tony Ferguson so impressively, and Oliveira has the ability to submit anyone he comes up against. Therefore, the pick is Oliveira via late tap-out.
The Pick: Oliveira via fourth-round submission