Michael Chandler promises to show off a different version of himself at UFC 309.
Chandler will face Charles Oliveira in a five-round co-headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The two first met back in 2021 at UFC 262, where Chandler suffered a technical knockout in the second round.
Chandler and Oliveira clashed for the vacant lightweight title in the main event of UFC 262. “Iron” hurt Oliveira multiple times early on, even threatening the jiu-jitsu specialist with a guillotine. But “De Bronx” turned the tide early in the second round, clipping Chandler with a left hook and raining down punches to stop him.
Chandler claims the rematch at UFC 309 will right some of the wrongs of that fight. The former Bellator champion intends to gradually break down his opponent, rather than rush to the finish like he did in their first fight. Chandler believes he can be unbeatable in five rounds at lightweight if he can keep his cool.
“Once I smell a finish, I’m going to take it slow and keep applying pressure instead of rushing,” Chandler said in the UFC 309 countdown video. “It was always meant to be this way. Sometimes you have to accept losses in order to bounce back. Then, overcome the hardships and right the wrongs. I think this is what will happen. I will calmly and wisely When I fight, there’s no guy I can fight with for 25 minutes at 155 pounds. That’s who I am now. And I’m excited to go out there and show it on November 16th.”
UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic. Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Order now!
Michael Chandler is working with Kamaru Usman ahead of his fight with Charles Oliveira 💪
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— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
November 9, 2024
Chandler hasn’t competed at the highest level since suffering a submission loss to Dustin Poirier in 2022, going 1-3 in his last four fights. After spending the better part of the past two years waiting for Conor McGregor to book him, the 38-year-old has now shifted his focus to a title fight.
Meanwhile, Oliveira lost a split decision to Arman Tsarukyan in a title eliminator bout at UFC 300 in April of this year.
