UFC 262 will mark the return of the fans in the Toyota Centre in Houston, Texas.
With 17,000 fans in the arena, some sense of normalcy will be injected into our system and what a fantastic fight card this is.
New recruit Michael Chandler faces Charles Oliveira for the vacant Lightweight (155 lbs) title.
Ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, the speculation has never been more chaotic than who really deserves to fight for that belt.
The names that were tossed around were Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler etc.
The two fighters that deserved this the most were obviously Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler.
Being on a 8 fight win streak, Oliveira was a natural choice for contention for the belt ever since Poirier and Conor agreed to a trilogy.
The only question was, who would Oliveira face.
After his emphatic win over Dan Hooker in January 2021 and strict work ethic, the UFC saw Chandler as a clear next contender standing opposite Oliveira hoping to win the World Title.
Let us have a look at the full fight card below:
5 strong fights on the main card this Sunday 16th May 2021. Live on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 3 from 7:30 am onwards.
The 3 fights I would like to touch upon are:
– Edson Barboza vs Shane Burgos
– Tony Ferguson vs Beneil Dariush
– Charles Oliveira vs Michael Chandler
Let's start with the first Featherweight (145 lbs) fight of the main card. Brazilian nightmare Edson Barboza takes on New York native Shane Burgos.
It's an interesting match up especially since Barboza moved down a weight class from Lightweight to Featherweight. Even though their fight records are fascinating, Barboza is 1-3 in his last 4, winning his last fight and Burgos is 3-1 in his last 4, losing his last night.
Burgos had his 3 fight winning streak snapped in his last outing with Emnett. That fight however, was judged the Fight of the Night. He has a balanced record with 5 wins by ways of Knockout and 5 via submission.
Standing in front of him is 25 fight UFC veteran Edson Barboza who not only is considered as one of the most dangerous strikers in the division, but also one of the most dangerous strikers in all of the UFC. With notable wins over Dariush, Dan Hooker, Anthony Pettis, Paul Felder to name a few, Barboza is looking to make a statement by getting back in the W column after a recent slide in the UFC.
Crystal Ball Prediction: Shane Burgos gets his hand raised.
The co-main event of the evening is in the Lightweight (155 lbs) division between Tony Ferguson and Beneil Dariush.
As many predicted for Dariush, his success has been long due in the UFC. As the pundits say, ‘You are only as good as your last fight’ applies perfectly in this case.
After a perfect 12 fight win streak, Ferguson had a string of 2 back to back losses. The experts and fans seem to have written off the dangerous Ferguson and are backing Kings MMA prodigy Dariush. Dariush currently riding a 6 fight win streak seems to have the momentum on his side. A confident team and a baby on the way, the tide seems to be favoring Dariush on this one.
Ferguson however spent a lot of time with legendary boxing coach Freddie Roach for this fight. Freddie would also be cornering Ferguson for this fight.
Would the presence of Freddie turn things around for Ferguson?
Or will the wave pave way for new heights for Dariush?
Crystal Ball Prediction: Tony Ferguson gets his hand raised.
And now… For the Main Event of the evening. With the Lightweight strap on the line after the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov, two warriors would be testing their skills to prove who is the best Lightweight walking planet earth.
The stage seems to be set for company man Chandler by getting the title shot in his second outing with the UFC. It almost seems unrealistic, or like a dream for some but Chandler has earned the right to.
A world champion being signed on by the UFC and immediately agreeing to be the back-up fighter for the Khabib-Gaethje isn’t an easy call to make for any fighter. But Chandler readily agreed.
His second opportunity with the UFC (which was his first fight in the UFC) happened a few months later versus the dangerous Dan Hooker. It took Chandler precisely 150 seconds for Chandler to destroy a top UFC Lightweight.
As soon as Chandler got the call from the UFC matchmakers on whether he is ready to fight for the title, it took him precisely 5 seconds to say Yes!
Now that’s a company man. Willing to fill in, step up and put on a show for the fans and your bosses.
Standing opposite Chandler will be one of Brazil’s stand-out talent Charles Oliveira. Oliveira riding a 8 fight win streak currently holds the record for maximum submissions (14). He has extremely good jiu-jitsu and pulls off submissions from all angles, top or bottom.
Both fighters are on a 3 fight win streak.
Chandler will have to close the distance to shut the lights on Oliveira, but Oliveira has all the skills to dodge the barrage, counter and possibly slick in a quick submission.
Only time will tell how this plays out.
You can watch all the action on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 3 on 16/May from 7:30 am onwards.
Make your predictions by tagging SPOGO News (@SpogoNews) and Somesh Kamra (@Somesh_Kamra) on Twitter. Don’t forget to hashtag #SpogoUFC #SomeshMonster #MonsterUFC with all your predictions and get a chance to win some really cool merchandise from Monster Energy.
About the author
Somesh Kamra is a professional mixed martial artist specializing in Muay Thai. He has designed many effective training programs for Superhuman Gym and the Police Academy. His knowledge of hand to hand combat is unbeaten and has been a success story for many students. Somesh Kamra is educated from the University of Gold's Gym in the field of physical fitness that includes strength training, plyometrics & cardiovascular training for muscular conditioning.
He works closely with the UFC for India and serves as the panelist for the TV Show – The Ultimate Guide to UFC and Pit Stop on Sony Sports Network.
Somesh runs India’s first combat podcast – The Fighting G.O.A.T produced exclusively by the IVM Podcast Network.
Instagram: Somesh.Kamra
Twitter: Somesh_Kamra
