After defeating Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 262 to become the UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira has taken over the MMA world. Teddy Atlas, one of the best minds in the fight game, praised ‘Do Bronx’ for his success on Saturday night.
Atlas was particularly impressed by Oliveria’s fighting instinct.
“Some fighters have great innate instincts, Oliveira’s saved him when he was dropped by Chandler. While on his knees he moved his head to avoid many of the follow up shots. It saved him! Subtle things,” he wrote on Twitter.
In the main event of UFC 262, Oliveira knocked out Chandler in round two, ushering in a new age in the lightweight division. The war, however, did not always go Oliveira’s way.
In the first round, Chandler put Oliveira in a lot of trouble. Chandler narrowed the gap between himself and Oliveira as the round entered the final two minutes and landed a strong left hook to the jaw of Oliveira.
The explosive offensive tactic shocked the Brazilian as he dropped to the turf, but he swerved away to avoid Chandler’s volley of incoming punches.
Oliveira took some hard blows on the ground but kept his head moving quickly to avoid succumbing to pressure and being knocked unconscious. He made a fast transition and put his back on the canvas.
This allowed him to put his legs between himself and Chandler, giving him time to regain his composure and rise to his feet. Atlas congratulated Oliveira on handling such a difficult situation so expertly.