UFC 262 Takeaways: The lightweight saga continues

UFC 262 was bookended by a pair of jaw-dropping battles that are sure to earn fight of the year consideration six months from now. Here are five key takeaways from a truly memorable night of fights.

The lightweight saga continues

Charles Oliveira snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by stopping Michael Chandler in the second round of their lightweight title bout. Their high-octane clash contained plenty of drama packed into the two rounds, but it was Oliveira who closed the show after somehow surviving a savage beating from Chandler in the first round.

While a rematch must absolutely happen between these perfectly matched competitors, Oliveira takes home the title and awaits a huge fight by the end of the year.

The McGregor/Poirier III winner awaits

All eyes now are on the outcome of the McGregor/Poirier rubber match scheduled for UFC 264. Oliveira may have the title, but the true champion of the division will be crowned when he faces the winner of McGregor/Poirier III.

As impressive as Oliveira was against Chandler, he is going to be up against it regardless of who wins this bout. If Chandler was able to tag him so freely and dropped him almost on command, then there is going to be big money on either McGregor or Poirier to take the title in ensuing clash.

Of breakdowns and broke arms

To say that Tony Ferguson and Jacare Souza need to take a long look in the mirror is an understatement. Both former standouts of their respective divisions, the long time competitors have fallen so steeply from grace that they are simply punishing themselves stepping into the octagon at this point.

Ferguson looked absolutely helpless against Beneil Dariush for his third straight loss, and Souza had his arm broken when he refused to tap to Andre Muniz. This isn’t the way any fighter wants to end their career, but this is clearly the end of the line for both of them.

Antonina strikes out

While the UFC thought they found promotional gold with potentially promoting the Shevchenko sisters, those plans came to a halt as Antonina tapped out against Andrea Lee. Lee was meant to be another softball opponent for Antonina, but was more than she could handle, trapping her in a triangle armbar after keeping her on the ground for nearly five minutes.

Edson Barboza’s savage stoppage

The main card started off with an incredible brawl between Barboza and Shane Burgos. The two strikers spent little time establishing a rhythm and just went to war with each other, landing so many vicious blows that it was a miracle they made it to the third round. A crashing right hand from Barboza had Burgos out on his feet, leading to a rare delayed reaction KO that left him unconscious.