The co-main event at UFC 309 was an electric clash between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira in a rematch three years in the making. Despite being dominated for four out of five rounds by Oliveira, Chandler pulled out some interesting moves in the last… which prompted fans to wonder if he was auditioning for the 5th guy to help Roman Reigns’ Bloodline in the WWE.
Chandler went into the fight aiming to finish the fight the way he ended the first round of their clash at UFC 262 where he almost finished Oliveira. But ‘Do Bronx’ had other plans.
Fans had a lot to say as one can imagine, especially after Chandler did this-
MICHAEL CHANDLER TROLLING TO END THE FIGHT
WHAT A FIGHT! #UFC309pic.twitter.com/nAYZEj18B4
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 17, 2024
A fan commented on Chandler’s performance saying, “That’s a future WWE champ I swear”. Another fan added, “Michael Chandler saw Triple H in the audience and said “f**k it”.
It seems Chandler’s showmanship was the main talking point of this fight. Another fan added, “Thought I was watching Monday Night Raw for a sec.” With Triple H in attendance, another fan said, “Triple H at UFC scouting Michael Chandler for WWE lmaoooooooo.”
As epic as all of this was, it still counts as another L to Chandler’s UFC record.
How did the fight play out at UFC 309?
The fight started off well for both men with Chandler and Oliveira landing good shots early on. ‘Do Bronx’ hurt his eye at the start of the first round and struggled a bit early on. However, he shot for a double leg and was able to get Chandler to the ground where he kept him for most of the first round. This was more than enough to give him the first round.
The second round was even better for Oliveira. He was in control from the get-go and landed a number of pin-point punches at will; all o which hurt Chandler and had him wobbling.
Oliveira then landed another takedown with more than half the round to go. He followed it up with a full mount and landed elbow after elbow that severely hurt Chandler to finish the second round on a high.
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In the third, ‘Do Bronx’ landed another takedown and had Chandler’s back for the majority of the fight. He even tried extremely hard to secure a submission, but Chandler literally muscled his way out of submission holds.
The fourth round was almost identical to the third round with Oliveira on the back for most of the round but unable to get the submission.
The final round was perhaps the most interesting round of the fight.
Needing a KO to win, Chandler came forward and swung wildly, landing a huge shot that had Oliveira visibly stunned and hurt.
He then got Oliveria to the ground and peppered him with some ground and pound, making the fight look close to being stopped at multiple points.
However, Oliveira weathered the storm, got back up secured another takedown, and ended the fight with him controlling Chandler’s back. This was enough to give Oliveira the win at the end of the five rounds. He now awaits the winner of Islam Makchev vs. Arman Tsarukyan to fight for the lightweight title sometime next year.
Chandler, on the other hand, called out Conor McGregor once again for a fight.
