What’s up fight fans? This weekend we’ve had yet another banger event at UFC 262! It
seems that the UFC does not intend to slow down and that 2021 will be the promotion’s
best year yet. But happened at UFC 262? The main card started with a gripping match
between Shane Burgos and Edson Barboza at featherweight. The first round started with
both fighters exchanging powerful shots. Both fighters were game and neither backed down.
Shane Burgos was eager to prove that he belongs at the top of the featherweight rankings.
Barboza on the other hand caught a second wind in his career and is currently on a tear
in the UFC’s featherweight division. So, neither fighter was willing to back down
and both exchanged vicious shots. Barboza even managed to place several well-timed spinning
back kicks right in Burgos’ midsection and even in his head, but Burgos was fighting
like a man possessed and continued to press forwards, blasting through Barboza’s resistance.
And then, the most unexpected thing happened in the form of a knockout win. Barboza landed
a powerful hook right in Burgos’ face, but Burgos ate that shot and continued fighting…
or so it seemed. More than 3 whole seconds have passed after Barboza’s hook when something
happened to Burgos. He suddenly staggered and started to back off. His eyes started
to lose focus. Barboza, being the veteran that he is, sensed this and pressed forwards
trying to finish the fight. He landed a couple of more shots and Burgos fell to the ground
unconscious, as the referee jumped in to stop the fight. It was definitely one of the weirder
knockouts that we’ve seen in the UFC’s history. Barboza showed that, at 35, he’s
still a force to be reckoned with. He stated in the post-fight interview that he had felt
better than ever before at featherweight. His goal is to now win the featherweight belt
and become a UFC champion. The next fight was Chookagian vs. Araujo.
Chookagian is a true warrior and this she had proven by systematically dismantling her
opponent Araujo over the course of three rounds. Araujo had her moments and she placed a few
well-timed shots right in Chookagian’s face. However, Chookagian’s pace, precision, timing,
and power proved to be too much for her opponent. Araujo had her moment in the second round
when she went for a single-leg takedown and got in, then advanced to mount and secured
a guillotine which Chookagian managed to survive. The tables have turned in the third round
as Araujo was visibly tired from the efforts in the second round and Chookagian was then
able to do serious damage to Araujo. The fight ended with a unanimous decision win for Chookagian.
Bontorin against Schnell wasn’t the liveliest of fights. Honestly, it seems like it was
the worst fight of the night. This is not to say that it was a bad fight per se. However,
when compared with the other fights of the night, it left a lot to be desired. Both Bontorin
and Schnell exchanged shots during the three rounds, with both fighters experiencing a
dip in the second round when the crowd started to outright boo them for inactivity. Eventually,
the third round had the fighters enter with a bit more sense of urgency and they tried
to land various punch combinations. Bontorin managed to outfight his opponent and won the
match via a unanimous decision. The co-main event of the evening was Tony
Ferguson against Beneil Dariush. Despite the fact that Tony had lost two in a row against
Gaethje and Olivera, he still had a lot of hype behind him coming into this fight. Beneil
Dariush was on a tear in the UFC’s lightweight division and was easily one of the most underestimated
fighters in the division. Ferguson entered the fight fully focused and ready to avenge
his two prior losses. However, this did not prove to be enough. Tony tried to keep the
fight standing and utilized his weird combinations and movements to do so. However, Beneil begged
to differ and, over the course of the three rounds, repeatedly took Ferguson down and
dominated him through and through. Tony tried to mount an offensive from the ground and,
to his credit, landed some big strikes and elbows from this position. But Dariush was
unfazed and kept working his way around Ferguson’s defenses for the better part of the three
rounds. At one point, Dariush even managed to lock in a tight heel hook. The fight ended
– Dariush won a unanimous decision win and Ferguson looked very disappointed in himself.
That’s three losses in a row. The fact that Tony is now 37 years old doesn’t help a
bit. We hope that he’ll find his inner strength and manage to rebound in his next fight, as
he stated that he’s still no way near the end of his career even after his third loss
in a row. And finally, we have the main event of the
evening – the lightweight championship clash between Charles Do Bronx Olivera and Iron
Mike Chandler. This was a great, exciting fight. Both fighters were eager to get the
championship belt wrapped up under their respective waists. They exchanged shots at the beginning
of the first round. Olivera managed to take Chandler’s back and got his body locked
in a triangle – but failed to do any significant damage in the process. Chandler, at one point,
snapped out of it and got off the body triangle, facing Olivera. At the end of the round, Chandler
landed a powerful overhand punch in Olivera’s face which wobbled him. He gave his best to
end the fight right there and then but Olivera managed to survive.
The second round started and it was obvious to everyone that Chandler had the upper hand,
after having dropped Olivera in the first round. This was obvious to everyone – except
to Olivera. With one powerful shot, Olivera wobbled Chandler who sprung back and tried
to pull himself together. However, by now Olivera had smelled blood and it was too late.
He went for the kill and finished Chandler. Olivera won the UFC’s lightweight belt and
is now a champion. It was a disappointing night for Chandler, to say the least. But
he still has a win in him and he’s eager to get back on track after the loss.
UFC 262, with a few minor exceptions, was an outstanding event. But what’s your opinion
about it? How do you feel about Olivera being the world champion at lightweight in the UFC?
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more content like this – and we’ll see you next time!