UFC President Dana White has made several announcements about upcoming fights, one of which has caused a stir. At UFC 309, the cage will be shared by two of the best lightweight fighters: Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler.
First of all, of course, this news suggests that Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon is postponed again. Even Michael Chandler, who believed most in his fight with the Irishman, could not stand it and agreed to another fight, and yet he had been waiting for Notorious for almost exactly two years.
“Negotiating with Chandler and Oliveira is the easiest thing on the planet. They are both really attractive guys who love to fight. I also have 100% confidence in Conor’s return in 2025,” said Dana White.
Secondly, this announcement gave food for thought. The fact is that Oliveira and Chandler have already fought: in May 2021, Charles finished Michael in the title fight and became UFC champion. More than three years have passed, and Chandler and Oliveira are still at the top and occupy the sixth and second lines, respectively, although Michael has not competed for two years and Charles has a 1-2 record in his last fights. This suggests that the lightweight division has gone from being one of the most competitive divisions to a division of retirees and fallen drivers.
Makhachev’s downtime could do him good:
Makhachev’s downtime has been prolonged. Why does this benefit the Russian champion?
This idea is fuelled by the potential fight between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje – this is their third face-to-face fight. They first met in 2018 and six years later they are still in the top five of the lightweight division.
There is absolutely no new blood in the division. The only one who stands out from the crowd is Arman Tsarukyan, who with a high degree of probability will become Islam Makhachev’s next opponent. If Makhachev wins, there will simply be no intrigue left in the division: no new names, no new challenges. At one time, they bet on Rafael Fiziev, who fought brilliantly – he lost to Gaethje and Mateusz Gamrot. Gamrot, by the way, had a good chance of becoming one of the main contenders for the title, especially since Mateusz even defeated Arman Tsarukyan. But Gamrot unexpectedly lost to the perpetual champion of the division, Dan Hooker.
Arman Tsarukian
Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The powerful French special forces soldier Benoit Saint-Denis stood in the way, but he failed the test of Dustin Poirier and went to bed in their face-to-face duel. Among the new and promising fighters, we can single out the brilliant Paddy Pimblett, but the Briton, although he is on a hot streak, has only one fight with a more or less famous opponent – Bobby Green. Therefore, before claiming the title, he still has fights with the veterans surrounding the division, and the big question is whether Paddy will pass these tests.
But what can we say about the lightweight rankings? The ninth position is occupied by… Max Holloway. With two fights in the division, one of which he lost back in 2019. Yes, the victory over Justin Gaethje was fantastic, but still Max can hardly be considered a title contender, and he also has other goals: to regain the featherweight belt.
The lightweight division during Khabib’s time was truly one of the most intriguing and competitive. But a lot of time has passed and in the ratings there are still the same guys who are no longer in their prime: Oliveira, Gaethje, Poirier, Chandler. And this is not the first time they have to fight each other.
Islam even thought about moving up to middleweight:
“Dreaming too big.” Is Makhachev’s move to middleweight a utopia?
It was a great idea to bring Conor back, they even picked a convenient opponent. After all, if the Irishman beats Chandler, Dana White would definitely get excited at the thought of McGregor’s fight with Makhachev. Background, names – this could be one of the highest-grossing fights in UFC history. But Conor frequents bars and the question of whether he will be able to fight at lightweight, given his current form, remains rhetorical.
Islam has one task left in the division: defeat Tsarukyan once again. After that, there will be no question about moving to welterweight – the Russian simply has no other relevant options in the lightweight division. What’s more, if Belal Muhammad, whom Islam does not want to fight, loses his belt by then. Well, the lightweight division will remain with Tsarukyan and those hardcore fighters who have been at the top of the rankings for many years. Surprisingly, one of the most competitive divisions in the UFC has become one of the least promising along with flyweight.
