The Lightweight division has been stalemate since the retiring of Khabib Nurmagomedov who is consider the greatest lightweight of all time. After his retirement many expected Dustin Poirier to be fighting for the vacant titled but instead opted out to make millions of dollars to fight the Notorious Conor McGregor. With Dustin’s decision the UFC decided to go in a different route and pursue Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler to fight for the vacant belt. Oliveira just happen to shocked the world by finishing Chandler in the 2nd round after almost being KO in the first round. Oliveira got it done in 19 seconds of the 2nd round with a beautiful hook that devastated the chin of Michael Chandler. With Oliveira being crowned the new Lightweight king what’s in store for him next? Will he be able to defend the belt or would the belt find a new home every time its on the line.
I do not think they would give Chandler a rematch without him gaining a win first and the first two options that come to mind are Rafael dos Anjos and Beneil Dariush. RDA would be a great opponent for Chandler to see where he stands in the division, Stylistically I like Chandler as the betting favorite if they do decide to make that fight. Also with Dariush being on a 7 fight win streak that can also be a great titled contender eliminator. I believe Dariush would be a much more chaotic fight for Chandler than RDA.
On July 10 UFC 264 there’s another lightweight fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier and whoever declares victory will probably be next in line for the a titled shot. I assume Poirier is the betting favorite. With the top lightweights being busy the only contender that doesn’t really have an opponent or an upcoming fight is the highlight himself Justin Gaethje. Justin’s last fight was a loss to Khabib and still is ranked number 2 in the lightweight division therefore I believe he will receive the next titled shot. How does Charles Oliveira match up with Justin Gaethje? I think with Gaethje getting put to sleep by Khabib it gives Oliveira some confidence because his Jiu jitsu is probably the best in the division and he also has the most submissions in the UFC. Oliveiras striking has also caught up with his ground game and I think he will be a nightmare matchup for Justin. However that being said I believe Justin can create a chaos that can overwhelm Oliveira and lead Oliveira to failure by getting clipped on the chin because Justin also has explosives for hands, Charles Oliveira did get rocked in his bout against Chandler and I think Justin is able to apply a much greater pressure than Chandler. Oliveira may have his hands full if the UFC decides to book that fight. Charles Oliveira Is the new lightweight king in a division full of killers and savages I hope Oliveira has the chance to enjoy being the champion before he has to go back to war. I hope Oliveira has a successful titled reign and able to defend his belt for years to come.
BIASMMA 