UFC 262: Oliveira vs. Chandler will air on May 15, 2021, in Houston, Texas.
Early Preliminary Card (Fight Pass/ESPN+)
CHRISTOS “THE SPARTAN” GIAGOS (18-8-0) vs SEAN SORIANO (14-6-0)
This is a three-round fight in the lightweight division. Giagos brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Soriano brings striking, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Giagos looks to make quick work of Soriano with the help of his wrestling. His wrestling is good, but Soriano is great with his takedown defense. He will keep the fight standing and outstrike Giagos. Giagos will try to find an opening, but Soriano will keep his defense up throughout the fight. My prediction: Soriano wins via unanimous decision.
KEVIN “THE ANGEL OF DEATH” AGUILAR (17-4-0) vs TUCKER “TOP GUN” LUTZ (11-1-0)
This is a three-round fight in the featherweight division. Aguilar brings boxing and jiu-jitsu. Lutz brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Aguilar looks to use his boxing to take control of the fight early on. He can throw, but he does not possess as much power as Lutz. Lutz will cause more damage to Aguilar. This will cause Aguilar to grow weaker faster while Lutz will still be full of power. Lutz will attack him until Aguilar can no longer continue. My prediction: Lutz wins via TKO in Round 2.
GINA “DANGER” MAZANY (7-4-0) vs PRISCILA “PEDRITA” CACHOEIRA (9-3-0)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s flyweight division. Mazany brings boxing and jiu-jitsu. Cachoeira brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Cachoeira is tough and can take loads of punishment. Mazany is tough and always packs a punch. She will hold nothing back and use her full aggression on Cachoeira. Cachoeira will try to take the fight to the ground, but she won’t get by Mazany’s power. My prediction: Mazany wins via TKO in Round 3.
Preliminary Card (ESPN/+)
JORDAN “THE BEVERLY HILLS NINJA” WRIGHT (11-1-0, 1 NC) vs JAMIE “NIGHTWOLF” PICKETT (11-5-0)
This is a three-round fight in the middleweight division. Wright brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Pickett brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Both are just about identical in techniques; Wright seems to be more athletic. He will be faster and more efficient with his attacks. Pickett will land a few good hits on Wright. He won’t land enough to do any major damage to Wright. Wright will dodge many of his attacks and return with his own. My prediction: Wright wins via unanimous decision.
#11 ANDREA “KGB” LEE (11-5-0) vs #12 ANTONINA “LA PANTERA” SHEVCHENKO (9-2-0)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s flyweight division. Lee brings kickboxing, Muay Thai, Kyokushin, judo, and jiu-jitsu. Shevchenko brings boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, taekwondo, and judo. Lee is tough and has impressive striking abilities. Shevchenko is faster and possesses more power. She will be throwing both hands and kicks which will cause great damage to Lee. Lee will try to defend, but she won’t be able to withstand Shevchenko’s power and aggression. My prediction: Shevchenko wins via unanimous decision.
LANDO “GROOVY” VANNATA (11-5-2) vs MIKE GRUNDY (12-2-0)
This is a three-round fight in the lightweight division. Vannata brings striking, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Grundy brings boxing, Luta, Livre, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Both are well-rounded in every way. Grundy is better with his striking. Vannata is a good striker, but he doesn’t have the power Grundy does. Grundy will hurt Vannata more and keep pressure on him throughout the fight. He will attack Vannata until Vannata can take no more. My prediction: Grundy wins via TKO in Round 2.
RONALDO “JACARE” SOUZA (26-9-0, 1 NC) vs ANDRE “SERGIPANO” MUNIZ (20-4-0)
This is a three-round fight in the middleweight division. Souza brings Muay Thai, judo, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. He is a former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion. Muniz brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Souza looks to take Muniz out with the help of his Muay Thai. Muniz will be able to withstand Souza’s power as Souza has lost much of his power. Muniz will throw his strikes at Souza and cause great damage. Souza will try to defend, but his age will get the best of him. My prediction: Muniz wins via TKO in Round 2.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View – ESPN+)
#8 MATT “DANGER” SCHNELL (15-5-0) vs #9 ROGERIO BONTORIN (16-3-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the flyweight division. Schnell brings karate and jiu-jitsu. Bontorin brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Schnell will look to use his karate to catch Bontorin. Bontorin will be able to defend against his karate. He will throw a few good strikes at Schnell and cause a few stuns to him. Schnell will try to rub them off, but he won’t be able to recover in time. Bontorin will continue to attack until Schnell can no longer continue. My prediction: Bontorin wins via TKO in Round 2.
#9 SHANE “HURRICANE” BURGOS (13-2-0) vs #13 EDSON “JUNIOR” BARBOZA (21-9-0)
This is a three-round fight in the featherweight division. Burgos brings boxing, kickboxing, Kyokushin, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Barboza brings boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, taekwondo, and jiu-jitsu. Barboza is tough and always throws heavy strikes with his hands and feet. Burgos will be able to withstand Barboza’s attacks. Barboza is not as tough as he used to be and Burgos will be able to take advantage of him. Burgos will attack Barboza head-on and not give him a chance to figure out a game plan. Barboza will try to dodge, but he won’t be fast enough to avoid Burgos’ attacks. My prediction: Burgos wins via knockout in Round 1.
#2 KATLYN “BLONDE FIGHTER” CHOOKAGIAN (15-4-0) vs #7 VIVIANE “VIVI” ARAUJO (10-2-0)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s flyweight division. Chookagian brings boxing, karate, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Araujo brings striking, Luta Livre, and jiu-jitsu. Chookagian is tough and looks to give Araujo a run for her money. Araujo will have some difficulty with Chookagian at first, but she will soon figure her out. She will find openings and attack Chookagian with force. Chookagian will try to defend, but won’t be able to withstand Araujo’s power. My prediction: Araujo wins via unanimous decision.
#5 TONY “EL CUCUY” FERGUSON (25-5-0) vs #9 BENEIL “BENNY” DARIUSH (20-4-1)
This is a three-round co-main event in the lightweight division. Ferguson brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. He was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 13. Dariush brings Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Dariush looks to take advantage of Ferguson with the help of his Muay Thai as Ferguson seems to have grown weaker. Ferguson is not as tough as he used to be, but he still is tough. He will not give Dariush an easy time. He with throw heavy hands and cause Dariush to become highly cautious. This will leave Dariush confused about what to do. He will end up leaving himself open and Ferguson will then go in for the kill. My prediction: Ferguson wins via submission in Round 2.
#3 CHARLES “DO BRONX” OLIVEIRA (30-8-0, 1 NC) vs #4 MICHAEL CHANDLER (22-5-0)
This is a five-round main event for the vacant lightweight championship. Oliveira brings boxing, Muay Thai, and jiu-jitsu. Chandler brings striking, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Chandler is tough and always packs a punch and could pose a major threat to Oliveira. However, Oliveira is tough and one of the best grapplers in the division. Chandler has never faced someone with intense grappling before. Oliveira will make it tough for Chandler to use his striking and wrestling. Chandler will try to lean towards attacking Oliveira head-on, but that will not be much use against a fighter like Oliveira. My prediction: Oliveira wins via submission in Round 2.
