UFC 262 Preview

The lightweights will take center stage at UFC 262 on Saturday. Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler will face off for the vacant UFC lightweight title, while Tony Ferguson and Beneil Dariush will square off in a bout between top contenders. That will help determine the new pecking order in the weight class after Khabib Nurmagomedov retired following his final title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

UFC 262 will be the second event with fans in attendance since COVID moved the promotion to the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be held at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas with the preliminary card available on ESPN and ESPN+.  

UFC 262 Betting Odds

Charles Oliveira -130

Michael Chandler +110

There’s no question about what Charles Oliveira wants to do in this fight. Oliveira holds the UFC record for most submission victories in a career with 14. He has won eight straight bouts coming into Saturday’s fight, and five of those wins came by submission. His most recent win was an impressive unanimous decision victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 256, helping to establish him as the betting favorite against Michael Chandler.

This will be Chandler’s second fight in the UFC. He was a three-time lightweight champion in Bellator, and he made his UFC debut at UFC 257. Chandler made quick work of Dan Hooker in a first-round TKO, winning a Performance of the Night bonus for his trouble. We have seen ten of his 22 wins come by knockout, including his last three victories, so he will look to stay on his feet against Oliveira.

Tony Ferguson +152

Beneil Dariush -177

Ferguson’s star has fallen rapidly over the last year. He won 12 straight fights and earned numerous Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses from 2013 to 2019. However, he was pummeled by Justin Gaethje over five rounds at UFC 249, and he was controlled on the ground by Oliveira last December. That has led to him being a sizable underdog here, but he is a great wager at this price considering his talent and experience.

Although Beneil Dariush has won six straight fights, he has yet to beat a real top tier fighter. Dariush has been impressive in those wins with three Performance of the Night bonuses and a Fight of the Night bonus for his split decision win over Carlos Diego Ferreira. However, Ferguson is at another level and will prove it on Saturday night.

Katlyn Chookagian -135

Viviane Araujo +115

Katlyn Chookagian has alternated wins and losses over the last 18 months. She defeated Jennifer Maia, Antonina Shevchenko, and Cynthia Calvillo by unanimous decision, but she suffered TKO losses to Jessica Andrade and Valentina Shevchenko in between those victories. If that trend continues, she will lose by TKO to Viviane Araujo.

Araujo has won seven of her last eight fights. Her lone loss was to Jessica Eye in December 2019, but she has earned unanimous decisions in her last two bouts. She could be worth a shot at UFC 262.

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