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UFC 262 Prelim Card
A lightweight contest between Christian Giagos and Joel Alvarez opens up the night’s action. Giagos is coming off a win over Carlton Minus and is a comfortable favorite over the debuting Alvarez.
Featherweights Kevin Aguilar and Tucker Lutz collide on the early prelims as well. It's a close fight, however, the oddsmakers believe the debuting Lutz has enough to defeat Aguilar who is currently on a three-fight losing streak.
Gina Mazany meets Priscila Cachoeira in women’s flyweight action. Mazany is coming off a body kick knockout of Rachael Ostovich and is unsurprisingly favored to come out on top against Cachoeira who is 1-3 in the UFC.
Andrea Lee returns to action when she faces Antonina Shevchenko in a women's flyweight contest. However, Shevchenko –the older sister of current UFC Flyweight champion Valentina-- is expected to go on her first winning streak with Lee currently on a three-fight losing skid.
Middleweights are also in action as Jordan Wright matches up with Jamie Pickett. Despite Wright having just the one defeat in 13 outings, oddsmakers rate Pickett’s chances as this is a pick’em.
The always entertaining Lando Vannata takes on Briton Mike Grundy in a featherweight contest. Former lightweight Vannata is making his 145-pound debut and is only a slight underdog to Grundy who is coming off a decision defeat to Movsar Evloev.
The featured prelim sees middleweight veteran Ronaldo Souza take on Andre Muniz. It’s been a rough few fights for Souza who is coming off a knockout loss to Kevin Holland and is on a three-fight losing streak. Muniz is 2-0 in the UFC and last suffered defeat in 2016, but is yet to face an opponent of the level of “Jacare.” Oddsmakers cannot separate this one.
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UFC 262 Main Card
Shane Burgos (13-2) vs. Edson Barboza (21-9)
The main card gets off to a banger as Shane Burgos meets former lightweight Edson Barboza. As far as featherweight Burgos is concerned, his fights are always entertaining and that was on display in his back-and-forth war with Josh Emmett in June last year. Despite losing a unanimous decision and just his second defeat in the UFC, Burgos has a bright future as he will look to earn the biggest win of his career against the human highlight-reel Barboza.
Both fighters have speed and power, but I like the slight favorite Barboza to get the W in what should be a banger
Katlyn Chookagian (15-4) vs. Viviane Araujo (10-2)
A ranked women’s flyweight contest is also on the main card as former title challenger Katlyn Chookagian takes on Viviane Araujo. Chookagian bounced back from her TKO defeat to Jessica Andrade with an impressive unanimous decision win over Cynthia Calvillo just a month later.
Araujo, meanwhile, has won two a row and four of her five UFC outings after her most recent unanimous decision win over Roxanne Modafferi. But despite having the opportunity for new blood at the top of the division, oddsmakers are just about favoring Chookagian to come out on top. She should get the job done if she can once again use her reach on the feet.
Matt Schnell (15-5) vs. Rogerio Bontorin (16-3, 1NC)
A flyweight contest between Matt Schnell and Rogerio Bontorin will now take place on the main card after the middleweight encounter between Jack Hermansson and Edmen Shahbazyan was pushed back.
Schnell bounced back from a knockout defeat to Alexandre Pantoja with a split verdict over Tyson Nam. In total, he has won five of his last six outings and should come out on top against Bontorin who is on a two-fight skid following defeats to Ray Borg and Kai Kara France.
Tony Ferguson (26-5) vs. Beneil Dariush (20-4-1)
A potential barnburner takes place in the co-main event of UFC 262 as Tony Ferguson takes on Beneil Dariush in a ranked lightweight encounter. Ferguson is on a two-fight losing streak following defeats to Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira. Many believe he is slowing and past his prime, while others believe he simply lost to two of the best lightweights in the world. He can make a big statement with a bounceback win over Dariush.
As for Dariush -- who is on a six-fight winning streak -- he has chosen the best possible time to face Ferguson as a win over the former interim champion would not only be the biggest of his career, but also insert him into the top five of the lightweight division. I like Dariush to rise to the occasion and take-control of the Octagon to push the pace and eventually stop the slowing Ferguson.
Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1NC) vs. Michael Chandler (22-5)
The main event will crown a new lightweight king as Charles Oliveira meets Michael Chandler. Oliveira is on an eight-fight winning streak and is coming off a dominant unanimous decision victory over Tony Ferguson back in December.
Chandler made his name in the Bellator promotion and was a big acquisition for the UFC. He only made his UFC debut in January when he TKO’d Dan Hooker in the first round of their lightweight encounter. The retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov opens the door for the opportunity to become a champion in his second promotion with the shocking debut performance.
As for the matchup, it’s a great one stylistically. Both fighters excel on the ground but are more than capable of ending fights on the feet as well. Given Oliveira’s finishing jiu-jitsu skills, Chandler will likely want to keep the fight standing. However, Oliveira has become one of the most well-rounded fighters in recent years with improving striking.
Over five rounds, the longer the fight goes the higher the chances that the Brazilian gets a finish or decision victory. The explosive Chandler will have to land a big shot early to capture the belt, but I think Charles will be able to avoid the attack. With the pressure and confidence of Oliveira, I think he makes it 9 in a row and captures the 155-pound title with a late finish.
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About Ryan O’Leary
Ryan O’Leary is a veteran mixed martial arts journalist and commentator. The Swedish-based writer is the founder and editor at MMAViking.com, which is the premier source for Nordic mixed martial arts news since 2008.
