Khabib Nurmagomedov has officially given up his UFC lightweight championship, but it won’t be vacant for long.
Lightweight contenders Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira are about to compete at UFC 262 on May 15th. The event currently has no publicly known venue or venue.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Thursday, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has not yet made an official announcement. ESPN was the first to report the news.
The longtime face of Bellator, where he was a three-time champion, Chandler (22-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) entered as a free agency and signed with the UFC in late 2020. He made his promotional debut at UFC 257 in January. with an impressive first-round TKO win over Dan Hooker.
Oliveira (30-8 MMA, 18-8 UFC), a member of the roster since 2010, will begin his first title fight in the most successful streak of his UFC tenure. Oliveira has won eight consecutive fights, including wins over Jim Miller, Kevin Lee and, most recently, Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 in December.
With the addition, the UFC 262 lineup includes:
- Michael Chandler v Charles Oliveira
- Beneil Dariush vs Tony Ferguson
- Jamie Pickett vs Jordan Wright
- Priscila Cachoeira vs. Gina Mazany
- Ajax vs. Vitesse Katlyn Chookagian
- Alex Perez v Matt Schnell
- Andrea Lee to Antonina Shevchenko
- Edson Barboza v Shane Burgos
