UFC 262: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler Betting Guide
When the former lightweight champion and one of the sport’s all-time greats, Khabib Nurmagomedov, abruptly retired from the sport in October, the division’s future was very much put up in the air. With no shortage of commentary on who should be put into the position to go for it, Dana White and company slotted Oliveira and Chandler to have the first shot at it.
Having just one fight in the UFC to his name coming into this fight, Chandler has faced a host of backlash from the sport’s elites in the lead up to this one.
Will he prove to the sport once and for all that he deserved the shot? Let’s take a closer look.
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Betting Profile: Charles Oliveira (30-8-0)
Last Five Fights
| W | W | W | W | W |
Having not lost since 2017, Oliveira comes into this fight on an 8 fight win streak and is long overdue for his first shot at a belt. The last time we saw him inside the octagon was a three-round dismantling of former champion Tony Ferguson in December at UFC 256.
Currently holding the record for the most submission wins in UFC history, it should be no surprise he dominates the division in that category. Coming into this fight, “Do Bronx†is averaging 2.8 submissions per 15 minutes, as well as 2.65 takedowns per minute.
Betting Profile: Michael Chandler (25-5-0)
Last Five Fights
| W | W | W | L | W |
A three-time champion in the lightweight division in competing MMA league Bellator, Michael Chandler joined the UFC roster in late 2020 and made a splash in his debut at UFC 257 in January 2021, a first-round TKO over Dan Hooker. Dana White went the unusual route of giving Chandler a title fight in just his second fight with the company with the win.
One of the best strikers in the division, averaging 4.29 Strikes Landed per Min. (SLpM), Chandler has the right hand to knock out the sport’s elites.
Outright Bet
Despite many seeing him as unworthy, I think that’s exactly the narrative White and company were looking for in propelling Chandler into UFC stardom. Though it hasn’t been UFC level competition, Bellator is barely a notch below, and his dominance there should tell more than UFC fans would like to believe.
Top Prop Bet
While this card isn’t getting billed as exciting as some other cards this summer, fight fans are in for a real treat in this main event. Just four of these fighters combined last 20 fights have gone to the judge’s scorecard, and in Chandler fights, just one of the last six have left the first round.
Pick: How Will Fight End? – KO/TKO (+100)
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.