Michael Chandler still thinks he’s superior to Charles Oliveira, despite the results between them showing otherwise.
After Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) suffered a second-round TKO loss to Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a vacant lightweight title bout at UFC 262 in May 2021, the pair had a rematch this month at UFC 309 in New York. It was “Do Bronx” who prevailed again, earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory over the former three-time Bellator titleholder.
The fight marked Chandler’s return to competition following a two-year layoff where he waited for a fight with Conor McGregor that never materialized. His welcome back to the octagon was a rude one, because he said that he sustained leg damage in the opening round that contributed to his bad night.
Despite all that, Chandler boldly declared that he thinks he beats Oliveira far more often than not.
“I am not happy with my performance,” Chandler told “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Monday. “I would give myself a two out of 10. I cannot overstate how horrible of a performance this was, or set of circumstances it was after that first round, compared to what my vision was. What I am capable of. I believe I beat Charles Oliveira nine times out of 10. Obviously, I’ve lost to him twice now. Two out of two. I have a 100 percent loss rate to Charles Oliveira. So I understand why people might ‘tssk’ at that, roll their eyes at that. But I just am so unhappy with the performance.”
Although Chandler has lost four out of his six UFC appearances, he still has reason to be optimistic about the future. He said he thinks the fight with McGregor will materialize in 2025, but even if it doesn’t, he’s still highly regarded in the eyes of UFC CEO Dana White, who likened him to Arturo Gatti in the aftermath of UFC 309.
“I am so excited to get healthy and I am so excited to give the fans and my supporters and everyone else out there, the performance that they deserve,” Chandler said. “And my coaches. Henri Hooft and Robbie Lawler and these guys, they pour their lives into me. It just was not the performance that I wanted.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
