Brazil’s Charles Oliveira on Saturday rallied with brutal efficiency to knock out American Michael Chandler early in the second round at UFC 262 in Houston, Texas, and be crowned the new lightweight champion.
“I am proving to everybody I am the lion of lions,” Oliveira said inside the cage afterwards. “I told you I was going to knock him out and I came and knocked him out.”
The 31-year-old Oliveira’s next challenge would be to carve his legacy in the blue riband UFC weight class previously dominated by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
Photo: AFP
“I wanted to come here tonight and show that I am the best,” said Oliveira.
The 35-year-old Chandler had been fast-tracked to a title shot after the former Bellator organization lightweight champion’s stunning UFC debut in January with a first-round knockout of New Zealand veteran Dan Hooker.
An all-American wrestler in his college days, Chandler has evolved into an explosive stand-up force and appeared to have been ahead after the first round. He somehow managed to escape Oliveira’s clutches after the fight had gone to the ground early, and he landed some huge headshots, particularly from his left hand, when they got back to their feet.
It was Oliveira who came out swinging hard and fast in the second. A left hook put Chandler down, followed by a barrage of unanswered blows with the referee stepping in after only 19 seconds of the round.
The jubilant Oliveira vaulted the fence and embarked on an impromptu victory lap from the cage-side commentary desk into the crowd.
The Brazilian jujutsu master had arrived in Texas boasting more submission wins than anyone else in UFC history with 14 and his TKO win gave him another record — 17 finishes inside the distance.
“Michael said I couldn’t take pressure and he hit, hit, hit and I’m still here. Here’s the belt,” Oliveira said.
While Nurmagomedov, arguably the greatest MMA champion of all time, retired in October last year with a record of 29-0, McGregor remains in the lightweight mix.
The Irish 32-year-old is ranked sixth, despite losing two of his past three fights, and he is set to face the top-ranked American Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Las Vegas on July 10.
McGregor topped Forbes magazine’s annual list of the world’s richest sportsmen for the past 12 months, with earnings inside and outside the cage of an estimated US$180 million.
Local media reported that about 17,500 tickets had been sold for the event, with the UFC claiming that the US$4 million gate receipts were a record at a venue that is usually home to the Houston Rockets NBA team.
Fans were encouraged to wear masks, but there were no restrictions enforced.
Oliveira was one of many fighters on the 12-bout card who said that having a full house back in full voice had made a big difference.
“Thank you Houston, thank you Brazil. This belt is for all of us,” he said.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS