Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 262 live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. After 28 Octagon appearances, Charles
Oliveira can finally call himself an
Ultimate Fighting Championship title holder. “Do Bronx” survived some early adversity, then rallied to knock out
former Bellator
MMA king Michael
Chandler 19 seconds into Round 2 of their
UFC 262 headlining encounter at the Toyota Center in Houston on
Saturday night. With the win, Oliveira becomes the promotion’s 11th
lightweight champion and claims the title vacated by Khabib
Nurmagomedov earlier this year.
“Michael, you’re a great champion, but today is my day,” a jubilant
Oliveira said following his ninth consecutive UFC victory.
It looked as though Oliveira (31-8, 19-8, 1 NC UFC) wouldn’t last
long against his heavy-handed foe. Chandler (22-6, 1-1 UFC) landed
a solid left early, forcing the Brazilian to shoot for a takedown.
Chandler responded with a tight guillotine, but the UFC’s all-time
submission leader escaped and then took Chandler’s back. Perhaps
just as impressively, the former University of Missouri wrestler
was able to explode out of the predicament and then hurt Oliveira
in an exchange near the fence when the action returned to the feet.
Oliveira was reeling, but he managed to ride out the round as
Chandler landed punches and elbows from above.
Oliveira didn’t take long to alter the course of history. A clean
left hook sat Chandler down at the outset of Round 2, and the
Chute Boxe product pursued his dazed foe along the fence with
more heavy punches. Oliveira dropped Chandler with another left
hook, then finished off his victory with a few more strikes on the
canvas.
“At Chute Box,
Macaco Gold Team, we have a saying, ‘It can rain stones, but
the stones are gonna come back,’” Oliveira said.
Dariush Sends Ferguson to Third Straight Loss
Beneil
Dariush may have jettisoned Tony
Ferguson from the lightweight division’s upper echelon for
good.
The
Kings MMA product outgrappled Ferguson for three largely
dominant rounds to earn a three-round verdict over the former
interim champion in the evening’s 155-pound co-main event. Dariush
swept the scorecards by a trio of 30-27 counts for his seventh
consecutive victory in UFC competition. Ferguson, who once won 12
straight fights from 2013 to 2019, has been convincingly defeated
in three consecutive Octagon appearances.
“That was my 20th fight in the UFC. I’m finally in the
conversation,” Dariush said. “I’d like to see myself in a title
eliminator.”
Dariush (21-4-1, 15-4-1 UFC) landed takedowns in each round, worked
to advance position and stayed busy with ground-and-pound from
above. He appeared to be on the verge of a finish when he locked in
a heel hook during a scramble in Round 2, a maneuver that left
Ferguson grimacing on the canvas. While “El Cucuy” escaped the
hold, his left leg appeared compromised from that point on, and
Dariush had no issue securing another takedown less than a minute
into Round 3 and riding out the victory from top position.
Ferguson did his best to remain active from his back throughout the
fight and even briefly secured in a brabo choke in the second
frame. However,
“The Ultimate Fighter 13” winner was unable to find the proper
positioning to truly threaten with the submission.
Bontorin Upends Schnell on Short Notice
Rogerio
Bontorin snapped a two-bout skid with a unanimous decision
victory over Matt
Schnell at bantamweight. Judges submitted scorecards of 30-27,
30-27 and 29-28 — all for the Brazilian, who missed weight by one
pound and was stepping in as a replacement for Alex Perez on
approximately three week’s notice.
Left hooks, straight right hands and powerful low kicks were the
foundation of Bontorin’s success through 10 minutes — including one
blow that briefly staggered Schnell in the second frame. Bontorin
put a final stamp on the victory in Round 3, when he pressured
Schnell with power punches against the fence, dislodged his foe’s
mouthpiece with a flying knee and then landed a takedown. From
there, Bontorin continued to drop ground-and-pound on his
mouthguard-less foe.
Though he landed periodic combinations, Schnell (15-6, 5-4 UFC)
often appeared hesitant to engage, and that cost him on the
scorecards in a matchup of combatants who normally compete at 125
pounds.
Conditioning, Output Carries Chookagian Past Araujo
Katlyn
Chookagian continued her climb back toward title contention,
taking a unanimous decision triumph over Viviane
Araujo in a featured flyweight encounter. Two judges scored the
contest 29-28, while a third saw it 30-27 — all in favor of “Blonde
Fighter,” who has won three of her last four appearances within the
Las Vegas-based promotion.
Conditioning was the difference for Chookagian (16-4, 9-4 UFC), who
rallied from some precarious moments in Round 2 to finish the fight
with a flourish. After a competitive opening stanza, Araujo caught
a Chookagian kick and dumped her to the canvas, where the Brazilian
moved to mount and threatened with multiple chokes and attacked
with ground-and-pound. Chookagian was able to eventually scramble
back to her feet and when she did, Araujo didn’t have much left in
the tank.
In the final stanza, Chookagian’s pace and volume controlled the
action, as she attacked with straight punches and the occasional
kick while a plodding Araujo increasingly came up short on her
offerings. Araujo (10-3, 4-2) had a modest two-bout winning streak
snapped in defeat.
Barboza Scores Delayed-Reaction KO Against Burgos
Edson
Barboza just kept racking up damage, and eventually, Shane
Burgos’ body decided it had endured enough.
The Brazilian veteran cracked his opponent with a right hand in
Round 3, and while Burgos initially attempted to shake it off, his
body shut down and he staggered back into the fence, bounced off
the post and landed on his stomach. Barboza landed two more
follow-up blows on his fallen foe before the featherweight bout was
waved off 1:16 into the final frame. Burgos has lost back-to-back
fights for the first time in his pro career.
Barboza (22-9, 16-9 UFC) started quickly, as he chopped at Burgos’
lead leg with kicks and appeared to stun his adversary with a hard
right hand. The
Team Tiger Schulmann representative upped his output in Round
2, attacking with punching combinations to the head and body and
hindering Barboza’s movement with calf kicks. While that effort
kept things interesting, Burgos (13-3, 6-3 UFC) could not withstand
Barboza’s onslaught in the third frame.
Continue Reading »
UFC 262 Prelims: Lee Armbars Shevchenko 
