Charles Oliveira beats Michael Chandler to win lightweight title

Brazil’s Charles Oliveira rallied with brutal efficiency to knock out American Michael Chandler early in the second round at UFC 262 in Houston, Texas, on Saturday and be crowned new lightweight champion.

“I am proving to everybody I am the lion of lions,” Oliveira said inside the cage afterwards. “I told you I was going to knock him out, and I came and knocked him out. I wanted to come here tonight and show that I am the best.”

The 31-year-old Oliveira’s next challenge will be to carve his legacy in the blue riband UFC weight class previously dominated by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor Mcgregor.

The 35-year-old Chandler had been fast-tracked to a title shot after the former Bellator organization lightweight champion’s stunning UFC debut in January with a first-round knockout of New Zealand veteran Dan Hooker.

An all-american wrestler in his college days, Chandler has evolved into an explosive standup force and appeared to have been ahead after the first round. He somehow managed to escape Oliveira’s clutches after the fight had gone to the ground early, and he landed some huge headshots, particularly from his left hand, when they got back to their feet.

But it was Oliveira who came out swinging hard and fast in the second. A left hook put Chandler down and was followed by a barrage of unanswered blows with the referee stepping in after only 19 seconds of the round. The jubilant Oliveira vaulted the fence and embarked on an impromptu victory lap from the cage-side commentary desk into the crowd.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu master had arrived in Texas boasting more submission wins than anyone else in UFC history with 14 and his TKO win gave him another record -- 17 finishes inside the distance.