Las Vegas – For the first time in three years, a new UFC lightweight champion will be crowned as No. 3 ranked contender Charles Oliveira and No. 4 Michael Chandler vie for the vacant belt. Also, for the first time in UFC history, a non-title co-main event will be five rounds as No. 3 ranked welterweight contender Leon Edwards faces off with Nate Diaz.
UFC 262: OLIVEIRA vs. CHANDLER will take place Saturday, May 15 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. All bouts will be streamed on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. The early prelims begin at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. The prelims will be distributed on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The UFC 262 main card will stream exclusively on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
UFC submission king Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) intends to make the most of his first shot at the title by delivering another record setting performance. Owner of the most UFC Performance of the Night awards, most submissions and most finishes, he established himself as an elite contender with remarkable victories over Tony Ferguson, Kevin Lee and Jim Miller. He now looks to extend his impressive win streak with his best showing yet in the biggest fight of his life.
Chandler (22-5, fighting out of Deerfield Beach, Fla.) quickly won the attention and hearts of fans with his debut first-round finish over top contender Dan Hooker earlier this year. Long seen as one of the top competitors outside of UFC, he secured wins over former champions Benson Henderson (twice) and Eddie Alvarez to earn his spot in the world’s premier MMA organization. Chandler now attempts to accomplish his main goal of strapping UFC gold around his waist by taking out Oliveira in a statement victory.
Perennial top contender Edwards (18-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Birmingham, England) makes a quick return to the Octagon looking to restart his momentum after a no contest with Belal Muhammad earlier this month. The owner of the second-longest active unbeaten streak in the stacked welterweight division, Edwards secured his spot in the top five with victories over Albert Tumenov, Vicente Luque, Gunnar Nelson and former champion Rafael Dos Anjos. He now looks to deliver his best performance yet in the biggest opportunity of his career against Diaz.
Fan favorite Diaz (21-12, fighting out of Stockton, Calif.) is set to make his first appearance in the Octagon in almost two years. A member of the UFC roster since winning the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2007, Diaz rocketed to superstardom following his massive upset victory over Conor McGregor in 2016. He has also secured impressive wins over Anthony Pettis, Gray Maynard and Donald Cerrone. Diaz now looks to remind fans that he is still one of the best in the world and immediately inject himself into the welterweight title conversation.
Kevin Holland steps in to face Marvin Vettori in UFC on ABC 2 main event
Additional UFC 262 bouts on the card include:
- Former UFC interim lightweight champion and No. 5 ranked contender Tony Ferguson (26-6, fighting out of Orange County, Calif.) takes on rising No. 9 Beneil Dariush (20-4-1, fighting out of Yorba Linda, Calif.)
- An exciting featherweight bout sees No. 12 Shane Burgos (13-2, fighting out of Monroe, N.Y.) lock horns with No. 14 Edson Barboza (21-9, fighting out of Parkland, Fla. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- No. 7 ranked middleweight Jack Hermansson (21-6, fighting out of Oslo, Norway) looks to return to the winner’s circle when he meets No. 12 Edmen Shahbazyan (11-1, fighting out of Glendale, Calif.)
- Lando Vannata (11-5-2, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) battles Mike Grundy (12-2, fighting out of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England) in a featherweight bout all but guaranteed to deliver compelling action
- Dana White’s Contender Series signee Rafael Alves (19-9, fighting out of Miami, Fla. by way of Para, Brazil ) aims to impress in his UFC debut against the tough Damir Ismagulov (19-2, fighting out of Udarnyi, Orenburgskaia, Russia)
- Middleweight star Jacare Souza (26-9, 1 NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) intends to hand Andre Muniz (20-4, fighting out of Montes Claros, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil) his first UFC loss
- No. 2 ranked women’s flyweight Katlyn Chookagian (15-4, fighting out of Kenilworth, N.J.) plans to stop No. 7 Viviane Araujo (10-2, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) from breaking into the top five
- Top 10 flyweights clash as No. 4 Alex Perez (24-6, fighting out of Lemoore, Calif.) takes on No. 8 Matt Schnell (15-5, fighting out of Shreveport, La.)
- In a matchup of ranked women’s flyweights, No. 11 Andrea Lee (11-5, fighting out of Shreveport, La.) meets No. 12 Antonina Shevchenko (9-2, fighting out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
- Highly touted lightweight prospect Joel Alvarez (18-2, fighting out of Asturias, Spain) seeks to continue his 100 percent finishing rate when he faces off with Christos Giagos (18-8, fighting out of Hawthorne, Calif.)
- Jordan Wright (11-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) squares off with Jamie Pickett(11-5, fighting out of Wilmington, N.C.) in a matchup of middleweight Dana White Contender Series alums
- Kevin Aguilar (17-4, fighting out of Longview, Texas) looks to spoil the UFC debut of Tucker Lutz (11-1, fighting out of Reisterstown, Md.) at featherweight
- Gina Mazany (7-4, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) and Priscila Cachoeira (9-3, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) battle in a women’s flyweight bout