Ali Abdelaziz, UFC’s general manager, isn’t too pleased with Michael Chandler‘s knockout defeat to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262. Ali said his client Justin Gaethje is back in the title chase now that Chandler is out of the picture. Abdelaziz expressed his delight on Twitter.
“We got this bum out of the way so now @Justin_Gaethje can clean up the division,” he tweeted.
UFC 262 was billed as a five-round contest for the vacant UFC lightweight championship. Crowd excitement was at an all-time high.
Oliveira, who entered the match as a -135 favourite, was expected to carry his elite training and submission skills to the table. On the other hand, Chandler had momentum on his side; after making a grand entrance into the UFC at UFC 257.
Was it too early for Michael Chandler?
Chandler claimed that he would be willing to fight anybody on the roster after knocking out Dan Hooker in their co-main event bout at UFC 257. His entry into the UFC came at an ideal moment, following the retirement of former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
UFC president Dana White was left with no choice due to a lack of viable choices. As a result, Chandler was scheduled to face Oliveira, who was riding a nine-fight winning streak in one of the UFC’s most competitive divisions.
Oliveira expressed his appreciation after becoming champion at UFC 262.
The 31-year-old Brazilian, on the other hand, now has a long list of opponents vying for a shot at his title.
Although the winner of the Conor-Dustin trilogy is expected to compete for the crown, Justin Gaethje will be hoping to reclaim his place as the number one contender.