Charles Oliveira vents frustration with Michael Chandler and UFC 309 referee over illegal strikes that went unpunished

On By Littum

In the co-main event of UFC 309, Charles Oliveira put on a masterful performance as he outpointed and outworked the insanely tough Michael Chandler en route to an impressive unanimous decision victory.

Still, the fight wasn’t without its controversial moments, with UFC fans around the world bemoaning both Michael Chandler and referee Keith Peterson for a series of illegal strikes that nearly ended the contest in the fifth.

(RL) Charles Oliveira of Brazil chases Michael Chandler of the United States in a lightweight bout during the UFC 309 event in Madison...
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Charles Oliveira takes out his frustration on Michael Chandler over illegal strikes

Charles Oliveira put on a great performance last night at UFC 309; outs Chandler 88-84 on significant strikes, secured five smart takedowns and scored nearly 15 full minutes of control time.

All three judges had the Brazilian superstar in front of them scorecard (40-36, 40-36 and 40-35) heading into the fifth and final round, but this is where things got controversial.

After stumbling into top position, Chandler pinned ‘do Bronx’ to the floor and as the crowd erupted, ‘Iron’ landed a series of powerful elbows and hammer fists to the back of the head.

At the post-match press conferenceOliveira was anxious not to kick Chandler while he was down, but still took aim at both ‘Iron’ and their UFC 309 referee for not getting involved when the sixth, seventh or eighteenth illegal strike landed.

“You know, I’m not here to criticize, but I want to tell you something, there was a lot of punches to the back of the head, a lot of fence grabbing, there were also some eye pokes and I told him (the referee) what was going on.

“I kept calling for his attention and nothing would happen. I had hoped he would intervene but nothing happened so I’m not here to criticize.”

speaks to Full Send MMA after the event’s conclusion, Oliveira doubled down on his stance that the illegal shots should not be held over Michael Chandler, who already had a reputation for bending the rules with eye pokes, fence grabs and fish hooking.

“A great name, a great champion, one of the toughest guys I’ve ever fought in here, so he deserves all the respect in the world… (He hit me with) a lot of shots to the back of the head, (there were) some eye pokes in there, but you know what, that’s part of it, and I’m not going to criticize that.”

UFC fighters and fans react to the fifth round of Oliveira vs Chandler 2

Given that Oliveira is arguably the most popular lightweight in the world, it’s no surprise that social media was flooded with comments criticizing both the American and referee Peterson for these illegal shots.

Oliveira himself has since shared this message to his X page: “I’m back. And I apologize for your pulse in round 5 (LOL) But Chandler is tough and hits hard. All respect. God bless us.”

With the victory at UFC 309, ‘do Bronx’ improves his professional record to 35-10 and will likely be the next title challenger after the Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev rematch in early 2025.

Related posts