Michael Chandler and the rest of the MMA community were wrong about Charles Oliveira.
Chandler admits that he never imagined fighting Oliveira for the lightweight title let alone losing to the Brazilian at UFC 262.
But facts are facts: Oliveira not only TKO’d Chandler to win the belt but he then went on to submit Dustin Poirier in another come-from-behind stoppage victory at UFC 269.
These accomplishments combined with Oliveira holding multiple UFC records including the most finishes (18) and most submission wins (15) in the promotion make him ‘Iron Mike’s’ pick for 2021 Fighter of the Year.