Tag: Charles Oliveira

UFC free fight: Charles Oliveira submits Dustin Poirier after all-out war in first UFC title defense

Watch Charles Oliveira submit Dustin Poirier after to close all-out war in his first UFC lightweight title defense.

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]’s UFC title run was short, but certainly wild.

Oliveira’s trio of UFC championship wins in 2021 and 2022 were out of this world. In December 2021, after he won the vacant lightweight title against Michael Chandler, Oliveira made his first title defense against fellow slugger Dustin Poirier. As advertised, the fight didn’t disappoint. It was an all-out war, which ended with Oliveira winning by submission in thrilling fashion.

Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) returns to the octagon Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 309. He takes on Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in a highly anticipated rematch.

UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) takes at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Check out Oliveira’s big win over Poirier in the video above.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

BMF champ Max Holloway would be honored to rematch ‘beast’ Charles Oliveira

Max Holloway is open to defending his BMF title against Charles Oliveira.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] is open to defending his BMF title against [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag].

Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) runs things back with Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) co-headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Upon hearing that Holloway will make a permanent move to lightweight, Oliveira told MMA Fighting that he’d be interested in facing him for the BMF title – and Holloway is more than happy to oblige.

“I heard Oliveira said he wanted to go for the BMF,” Holloway said on his YouTube channel. “That’s pretty cool. Oliveira, I know we have some history, and I know if that fight was ever offered to me, brother, it would be an honor to share the octagon with you, bro. You’re a beast, you’re an animal, and I can’t wait. I can’t wait for this fight. This fight (vs. Chandler) is huge.”

Holloway and Oliveira fought once before at featherweight in August 2015, with Holloway defeating “Do Bronx” by TKO less than two minutes into their fight due to injury. Holloway’s win over Oliveira was part of an impressive 13-fight winning streak, which resulted in “Blessed” capturing the UFC featherweight title.

Holloway is coming off a knockout loss to featherweight champion Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in October. He announced his plans of moving back up to lightweight immediately after, where he recently knocked out Justin Gaethje to claim the BMF title at UFC 300 in April.

[lawrence-related id=2784701,2783314,2783070,2782301]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Video: UFC 309 ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs with Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler 2, more

UFC 309 ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs featured Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler, Bo Nickal, Chris Weidman, Jim Miller, and more.

NEW YORK – UFC 309 ceremonial weigh-ins took place Friday, and the fighters came face-to-face one final time before the promotion’s annual stop in “The Big Apple.”

Ceremonial weigh-ins took place at Madison Square Garden, which hosts Saturday’s event (ESPN+, ESPNews, ESPN+). Among those squaring off were the heavyweight title headliners, as well as lightweight contenders [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], who meet in an anticipated rematch with high stakes at 155 pounds.

Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) defeated Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) by second-round TKO in a vacant title bout at UFC 262 in May 2021. He’s on a journey to reclaim gold, but he’ll have to get through Chandler, who returns from a two-year layoff after his failed pursuit of a matchup with Conor McGregor.

Check out the video above to see the athletes from all 13 scheduled matchups come face-to-face, and don’t miss the photo gallery below.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Anthony Smith: ‘Not a chance’ Michael Chandler fights smarter vs. Charles Oliveira

Michael Chandler knows what he has to do to beat Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, but the “devil on the other shoulder” simply won’t allow it.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] won’t be able to control himself against [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] at UFC 309.

Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) rematches Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. Chandler will look to avenge his 2021 loss to Oliveira, in which he was able to badly hurt the Brazilian in Round 1 but was knocked out just 19 seconds into Round 2. Speaking on the “Believe You Me” podcast with Michael Bisping, Smith said Chandler’s tendency to brawl and entertain is who he is as a fighter.

“Not a chance,” Smith said of Chandler fighting smarter. “I think he’ll think he’s going to do that. When he fought Dustin Poirier, I was right behind Joe Rogan, and I was like, ‘This is going to be an amazing fight. He’s going to fight smart.’ He tried. I was close enough where I could see him, I could hear his coaches, I could hear the corner work through the broadcast.

“Listening to the things with Din (Thomas), and you can see he was having this internal battle where he knows that he was just really successful with the wrestling, but this devil on the other shoulder is like, ‘Just go for broke,’ and he can’t help it. I used to think he was trying to be exciting, and he’s not. It’s just who he is in here (his heart), and he can’t help it.”

Since coming over from Bellator, Chandler’s approach has resulted in four bonuses in five UFC appearances. His all-out war with Justin Gaethje at UFC 268 earned him Fight of the Year for 2021.

[lawrence-related id=2785640,2785616,2784694,2784242]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC 309 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: Jon Jones meets Queen Latifah at a Knicks game

In the fifth installment of UFC 309 ‘Embedded,’ Jon Jones hangs out with Queen Latifah after a Knicks game.

The UFC is back in New York for UFC 309, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

In the headliner, heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in a fight delayed by a year. In the co-feature, former lightweight champ [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) takes on [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) after he was left at the altar by Conor McGregor.

The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

UFC 309 athletes make their media day rounds; Champ Jon Jones runs into Queen Latifah at the Knicks game; Stipe Miocic talks golf with Daniel Cormier and is gifted memorabilia at Madison Square Garden; Charles Oliveira gets dressed up; The stars of UFC 309 square off at the press conference.

Previous UFC 309 ‘Embedded’ episodes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC 309 weigh-in results: Title fight official, but one fighter off the mark in New York

Check out the results from the official UFC 309 fighter weigh-ins.

NEW YORK – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC 309 fighter weigh-ins, where all but one fighter hit their marks on the scale.

In the main event, heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) takes on former champ [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in a long-awaited matchup. Jones was 237.6 pounds. Miocic will have a slight weight advantage at 248.6.

In the co-feature, former lightweight champ [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) takes on [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC). When he was champion, Oliveira missed weight for a title defense against Justin Gaethje and was stripped of the belt. He’s trying to work his way back to a title shot, and this time was on the mark at 155.6. Chandler, who was the first fighter to come to the scale, was the same.

To open the main card, James Llontop (14-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) takes on Mauricio Ruffy (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a bout that was originally set for lightweight when Ruffy was fighting Charlie Campbell. Llontop stepped in on short notice and the fight was set for 165 pounds at a catchweight. But Llontop missed that limit on the scale by 1.2 pounds and was fined 20 percent of his purse.

The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in New York and preceded the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans, which take place at 5 p.m. ET at The Theater at MSG. The attached Madison Square Garden hosts Saturday’s event (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+).

[vertical-gallery id=2786574]

The full UFC 309 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Jon Jones (237.6) vs. Stipe Miocic (248.6) – for heavyweight title
  • Michael Chandler (155.6) vs. Charles Oliveira (155.6)
  • Paul Craig (186) vs. Bo Nickal (185.4)
  • Viviane Araujo (125.6) vs. Karine Silva (125.8)
  • James Llontop (166.2)* vs. Mauricio Ruffy (164.4) – 165-pound catchweight

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/FX/Hulu, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Jonathan Martinez (135.8) vs. Marcus McGhee (135.6)
  • Eryk Anders (185.6) vs. Chris Weidman (186)
  • Damon Jackson (155.2) vs. Jim Miller (155.6)
  • David Onama (155.6) vs. Roberto Romero (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Hulu/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Jhonata Diniz (253.2) vs. Marcin Tybura (251)
  • Ramiz Brahimaj (170.2) vs. Mickey Gall (170.8)
  • Bassil Hafez (171) vs. Oban Elliott (170)
  • Veronica Hardy (125.8) vs. Eduarda Moura (125.2)

*Llontop missed the catchweight limit and was fined 20 percent of his purse.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC 309 weigh-in video: Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler set for rematch

Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler made their high-stakes rematch official at Friday’s UFC 309 official weigh-ins.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] made their high-stakes lightweight rematch official at Friday’s UFC 309 official weigh-ins.

Former champion Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) will attempt to rebound from a UFC 300 loss to Arman Tsarukyan when he takes on Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), who returns from a well-documented two-year layoff, when they run it back in Saturday’s co-main event at Madison Square Garden (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).

Oliveira won the first meeting with a second-round TKO of Chandler at UFC 262 in May 2021 to claim the interim 155-pound title, and a potential title shot on the line, both sides look well-prepared for the sequel.

Brazil’s Oliveira tipped the scale at 155.6 pounds. Chandler was the first fighter to the scale and was 155.6, as well.

Watch the video above to see Oliveira and Chandler make weight for their UFC 309 rematch.

[lawrence-related id=2786574]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Photos: UFC 309 pre-fight press conference from New York

Check out these photos from the UFC 309 press conference in New York City.

Check out these photos from the UFC 309 pre-fight press conference in New York, which featured [autotag]Dana White[/autotag], [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag], [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag], and [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]. (Photos by Per Haljestam for MMA Junkie)

Charles Oliveira cautions UFC champion Ilia Topuria about lightweight move

Charles Oliveira praised Ilia Topuria, but says a lightweight move won’t be easy.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] praised [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], but says a lightweight move won’t be easy.

UFC featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who’s coming off back-to-back knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, is confident he can become the first to submit UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.

A former lightweight champion, Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) acknowledges Topuria’s skillset, but reminds him of the shark tank in his division.

“Ilia is a tough fighter – someone who talks the talk and walks the walk,” Oliveira said through an interpreter during Wednesday’s UFC 309 media day. “He’s doing things. I can see why he would want to challenge people. He would be, obviously, a tough fight.

“I think that what happens is a lot of fighters, whenever they get the belt, they have that belt wrapped around their waist, they start thinking up and down in the divisions. But I think you have to be very careful when you’re coming up to lightweight because this is tough. This is a very tough division. But at any rate, I think that he’s a very tough and very dangerous guy.”

Oliveira runs things back with Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. Oliveira won their first meeting by knockout to claim the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262 in May 2021.

[lawrence-related id=2782808,2782675,2782579]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC 309 full press conference faceoffs video: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler 2, more

In addition to main event, UFC 309 press conference faceoffs included Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler and Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig.

NEW YORK – The stars of UFC 309 main card athletes came face to face for the first time during fight week following Thursday’s pre-fight press conference.

With fight week festivities rolling on, the athletes for the card took the stage to answers questions from the media, then engaged in staredowns ahead of Saturday’s event, which takes place at Madison Square Garden (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).

In addition to the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic heavyweight championship main event, the anticipated five-round lightweight rematch between [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], as well as the middleweight main card bout of [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] was also in attendance and participated in faceoffs.

Watch the video above to see the full pre-fight press conference faceoffs ahead of UFC 309.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.