Oliviera Passes on Chandler for a Second Time
By Eddie Sanchez
With less than two weeks standing between us and UFC 258, the organization attempted to book a short notice fight with Michael Chandler and Charles Oliviera for a second time. For a second time, Oliviera passed on the opportunity in hopes of an immediate title shot.
Michael Chandler had an electric debut at UFC 257 against Dan Hooker and the UFC was hoping to capitalize on this by bringing him back for a high-profile co-main attraction with one of the hottest names in the sport.
You may remember that Oliviera, who is on an eight fight win streak, was offered Michael Chandler as an opponent leading up to the last PPV, but he was unable to safely make weight in time for the potential matchup.
“We offered him this fight (with Chandler) but he couldn’t make weight, so you can’t blame the guy for that,” UFC President Dana White told The Mac Life.
“Look at Oliveira. I mean, look at what this guy has done. Coming off that performance that he just put on over Tony, it’s hard to overlook him.”
Well, fast forward a few weeks and it appears that Dana and the UFC was just fine with overlooking Oliviera for an immediate title opportunity with Poirier.
You can’t blame the organization for trying a second time. First, the upcoming PPV card is light when compared to the other upcoming PPVs, and UFC Fight Nights, that we have to look forward to. Additionally, setting up this matchup would have opened the door for a Poirier-Gaethje rematch, which I am all for!
It is interesting that the UFC waited this long to make the second attempt though.
Charles’ coach Diego Lima shared: “All champions have two or three months to make a camp to get ready,” he said. “We already did crazy stuff like accept Clay Guida in 10 days and Tony Ferguson in 20, but I think that for all Charles has done, he deserves to have a full camp to fight for that title.”
His coach is absolutely right. He has paid his dues and deserves a title shot. At the very least he should have been offered this fight with ample notice. Given that he turned the opportunity down, it is nothing more than a moot point at this time.
Circling back to the upcoming PPV, it seems like the UFC will have to make an additional effort to attract more buyers considering that Chris Weidman-vs-Uriah Hall is no longer on the card due to Weidman contracting COVID.
Given Chandler’s desire to step back into the cage, the UFC should pounce and offer him a fringe contender as another showcase opportunity. Guys like Paul Felder and Kevin Lee immediately come to mind as potential opponents for a short notice fight. I would put more stock into Felder being willing to jump at the opportunity given his veteran status and professionalism in the sport, although he has stated that he would prefer to return in the springtime.
Regardless, the UFC should do everything they can to get Chandler back into the cage for UFC 258. The promotion would benefit greatly from a quick return and Chandler could potentially add another W to his list of arguments for a future Poirier matchup.
