Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is gearing up for his rematch against Michael Chandler at UFC 309. The Brazilian is already geared up for the challenge and is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation. However, ‘Do Bronx’ and his team are in the news for all the wrong reasons. Oliveira was recently seen sparring with MMA fighter Arslan Otchiyev and undoubtedly overpowered him. Otchiyev is nowhere close to Olveira in terms of his skill level, and, as a result, got beaten up. But why is the former champion under so much scrutiny?

One chance for MMA fighters to test their skills against more experienced fighters’ abilities is through sparring. Although it’s unspoken, these sessions should indeed adhere to the ‘light’ session. However, some sessions do end with the fighters using all of their strengths, but there is still one limit that they follow. Their companion in sparring is not eliminated and at least has protective gear with them. This view makes sense as the purpose of sparring is to hone one’s skills rather than to overpower one’s partners in training.

However, this was not the case with Oliveira’s latest sparring session. Just a few months back, the former middleweight champion Sean Strickland was seen sparring with influencer Sneako at the UFC Performance Insititute in Las Vegas. The sparring session was streamed online, and Sneako ate a series of massive left hands before towels flew in from multiple directions resulting in a lot of criticisms from experts. This time, it was an MMA fighter who was at the receiving end.

Xcellent MMA took the time to share the details of the entire incident on their Instagram page. Otchiyev pointed out how he was asked to spar with the former champion without any protective gear. He said, “Why did they post my beating? I was on vacation and stopped by to train, when they heard that I was speaking Russian, they put me in with Oliveira and didn’t give me any protective gear. At first, it was ok until I was exhausted, I could barely feel my hands and couldn’t stand on my feet”

Oliveira’s next opponent, Chandler, might be watching these sparring videos very closely. While he is training hard for his fight against the Brazilian, he still has eyes on Conor McGregor. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, ‘Iron’ seemed to have a completely different take on the Dubliner.

Michael Chandler still hopeful for a fight with Conor McGregor

As soon as the Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira fight was announced for the UFC’s upcoming Madison Square Garden, Conor McGregor went all guns blazing against him. After hearing the news, he slammed ‘Iron’ online, which resulted in Chandler giving ‘Notorious’ a mouth-shutting reply, calling him “the most unreliable human being” ever. This left many wondering if the pair would ever take on each other in the future – it seems there is still a possibility. McGregor recently sat down for a chat with Ariel Helwani and made it clear that he would be making a return in 2025.

His statement seems to have impressed Chandler, as he has now changed tunes for him. While speaking to MMA Junkie, the 38-year-old showed his willingness to fight the Dubliner if the opportunity comes. He said, “I believe the respect he has for the sport, the love and adoration he has for the UFC—because he is not Conor McGregor without the UFC—and also him being a man of his word.” He further drove the final nail in the coffin, claiming, “I do believe he and I have some unfinished business.”

Currently, Chandler will have to deal with the challenge of the Brazilian, who has beaten him up in the past. So, who do you think will come out on top this time round? Let us know your picks in the comments below.