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Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler brought back their sensational fight for the second time at UFC 309, conducted at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Before they met in the co-main event, although it was no less an exciting fight, the fight went the distance. The pair previously faced off at UFC 262 in May 2021, where Oliveira secured a second-round TKO victory in a thrilling exchange. This time, Oliveira proved himself highly skilled, physically fit, and wise enough to defeat his opponent for the win by unanimous decision and establish himself as the king of the lightweight division.
A Strong Start By Charles Oliveira
The fight started as Charles Oliveira looked to stay dominant at the center of the octagon. Both fighters were feeling each other out in the opening round, with Olivera scoring first with a front kick and a counter right hand to Chandler. Chandler barely escaped Oliveira’s grip but was taken down by Oliveira, who targeted Chandler’s leg on the ground. Michael Chandler kept busy from the bottom throwing short punches, but it was clear that Oliveira was able to control the fight. The fight concluded in the first round, and the judge’s scorecards had Oliveira in a better position.
Charles Oliveira was more proactive in the second stanza, having a hard leg kick and clean punches, which forced Chandler into a shell. Chandler’s counters were answered by constant pressure from Charles Oliveira, who landed a knee and a takedown before the midway point of the round. On the ground, Oliveira took the back and mounted Chandler to then land some clean elbows reinforcing his dominance. The second round devastated further, with Oliveira using great striking and controlling the fight on the ground.
Chandler Shows Heart As Charles Oliveira Maintains Control
The third round was the evidence of the champion’s heart that was shown when he landed stiff jabs and powerful punches. He countered it with an uppercut and clinched to stem Chandler’s attack. The next takedown was from Oliveira, grabbing the back of Chandler and locking his body. Chandler performed well on the ground, but Oliveira showed his evolution on the ground as well as the new legalization of 10-6 elbows.
Oliveira had his back against the wall in the fourth round, Chandler came back powerfully, hitting Oliveira to feel his punches, but Charles Oliveira was able to clinch onto Chandler and get back into position. Chandler was back to the ground after the takedown from Oliveira, and the Brazilian got back to his feet only to take him down once again. Against Chandler’s furious scrambles, Oliveira kept the fight on the ground, tried for submissions, and went for some armbar strikes, but Chandler again displayed brilliant takedown defense.
Oliveira Holds On For the Decision
In the final round, Chandler banged, which hurt Charles Oliveira and put him on the ropes. Oliveira never surrendered that control to grappling and scored takedowns to take Chandler back to the mat and regain control. Chandler was aggressive all through the fight, but it was the ground and pound by Charles Oliveira and the constant pressure that saw him win through the unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 49-45. This victory also solidifies the position of his career in the lightweight division as an elite fighter who can adapt himself to high-pressure games.
Conclusion
A moment, a memory, showed that Oliveira is a genuinely tough contender who possesses a kind of skill set and never backs down. While the spot-on effort from Chandler was evident as much as the flashes of sheer excellence from him, it was the ground control and positioning, the clinch tying, and the submission savvy of the Brazilian that decided the contest in his favor. Thus, this performance strengthens Charles Oliveira’s position as one of the main contenders in the lightweight division and makes him ready for further great fights.
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The Phillies need to replace this struggling bat at the deadline
Another year, another shot at a championship. Since their last World Series appearance in 2022, a match in which they lost, the Philadelphia Phillies have slid backwards, falling in the NLCS in 2023 and the NLDS in 2024. This year, the Phillies are back on top of the NL East, holding a slim half-game lead over the New York Mets entering Tuesday. Still, their season has been far from spotless. The Phillies have gone through immeasurable difficulties from the bullpen without Jeff Hoffman (signed with Blue Jays), Carlos Estevez (signed with Royals) or Jose Alvarado (PED suspension), especially with Jordan Romano’s descent into the dumpster fire. But with new free-agent signing David Robertson in tow, we can expect some degree of stability from the relief corps going forward — though, not to insinuate that team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is done adding bullpen arms. Another sore spot that received plenty of attention the past few months is in the outfield, left field in particular. Among all qualifying left fielders, Max Kepler maintains the second lowest OPS. Much has been made about potentially replacing him, but as bad as he’s been, there is one Philadelphia infielder that has done even worse. Once a promising bat, second baseman Bryson Stott seems to be reaching rock bottom. Below, you can his stats in comparison to that of Kepler’s: (wRC+: weighted runs created plus represents the culmination of a hitter’s offensive achievements where a value of 100 is MLB’s average) Stott has been more proficient than Kepler at recording hits, but Kepler’s power and higher walk rate gives him the edge in overall offensive stats. It was only in 2023, his second year of MLB action, when Stott hit .280/.329/.414 with 15 home runs. Unfortunately, Stott’s productivity began to slide last season. This year, his slump halted in April when he hit .314 on the month, but it quickly resumed in May (.216), worsened in June (.202) and has reached a fever-pitch in July (.132). If the Phillies are going to claw their way back to the Fall Classic, it may be better if Stott’s bat isn’t in the lineup.
Surprise Brewers Rival Enters The Eugenio Suarez Trade Sweepstakes
The talk of the trade rumor mill right now is Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. The Milwaukee Brewers are one of many teams to be connected to the 34 year old slugger, along with the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Suarez continues to raise his profile, battling with Shohei Ohtani for the NL home run lead, already with 36 long balls on the season. He'd be an immediate boost to any team looking for offensive help, which the Brewers certainly are. But there's another contender in the Suarez Sweepstakes that's just entered, and it's one the Brewers' other division rivals. The Cincinnati Reds. While the Milwaukee Brewers have taken a one game lead in the NL Central, the Cincinnati Reds have quietly snuck into 3rd place in the division and currently sit 8.5 games back of the Brewers with a 53-50 record. Fangraphs gives the Reds a 0.4% chance to win the division and a 10.9% chance to make the playoffs. Suarez would no doubt give a boost to the Reds in their hunt for a wild card spot, and it would be a reunion for the two sides. Suarez was a Red from 2015-2021 and he had some of the best years of his career there. He slugged a career high 49 home runs for them in 2019. The inclusion of the Reds would certainly throw a wrench in the Suarez sweepstakes as a team that's out on the periphery of the playoff race. He could certainly cause some more headaches for the Brewers as they try to close out the division. Still, the Reds might be a more preferable alternative destination for Suarez than the Cubs if you're the Brewers. The Reds have a lot of good, young players that they could trade in order to get Suarez. They've been desperate to get to that next level the last couple of years and they may finally push some chips in to get themselves back into the playoffs. The number of teams interested in Suarez continues to grow. That will just raise the price on the Brewers a little bit more if they want to get him.
Yankees cannot afford to trade their 'left-handed Aaron Judge'
It’s been a busy summer for New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, having watched several pitchers and the team’s primary third baseman fall victim to lengthy IL stints. Cashman has at least three holes to repair, but who can the Yankees deal to land some worthwhile replacements? Among New York's trade chips that have been frequently mentioned as of recent is outfielder Spencer Jones. Whether for the Arizona Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suarez or Pittsburgh Pirates' Mitch Keller, several rumors have suggested a package involving Jones, the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect and purported “left-handed Aaron Judge.” Up until this season, Jones had struggled to live up to his monstrous expectations, which made him rather undesirable in prior trade discussions. But whereas many teams and writers saw him as a hard pass in trade talks over the offseason, Jones has now become a hot commodity. Off to a scorching start in Triple-A (.408/.470/.901 with 10 home runs in just 17 games entering Wednesday), Jones has compiled a head-turning .313/.412/.683 stat line with a career-high 26 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 246 at-bats across Double and Triple-A this season. With his awe-striking power finally producing some results, Jones has become a top-of-the-line trade chip. However, this doesn’t mean the Yankees should consider trading him. Why not? Center field-related uncertainty Yankees’ center fielder, Cody Bellinger, has played well in pinstripes this year which raises the topic of his player option for next season. In addition, since he is getting paid more than his option is worth next year, chances are he decides to try the free-agent market. If Bellinger does leave, center field will be wide open as Trent Grisham will also likely test free agency after this season. Unlike Jones, neither Judge nor Jasson Dominguez have displayed the aptitude necessary to capably play the position. The Yankees’ shallow depth will also prove to be a challenge for finding a replacement. If Bellinger does stay, he can slide into first base while Jones takes over at center. But whether he decides to stay or go, Bellinger will be a free agent after the 2026 season. Trade value Jones’ numbers are on fire, but his trade value has yet to catch up, due to his unstable track record. Nonetheless, using a prospect of Jones’ caliber (along with others) to land someone like Keller (career 4.43 ERA), for example, or any similar player would equate to mismanagement. Given his torrid stretch this year, there is a good chance Jones lives up to his stunning potential. Selling him for a fraction of his future worth would be regrettable. Yankees’ current situation The Yankees are without Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt for the year and many others sit on the IL alongside them. This deficiency could be offset by acquiring some rentals, namely Suarez. However, as the risk with all rentals, Suárez will likely test free agency at the end of the season. Unless the Yankees extend or sign him, he won’t share the same side of the field with Cole or Schmidt (while active). If they can land Suarez without trading Jones, all would be well for the Yankees. If not, this could be a case of mortgaging the future to improve a very gloomy present. In the end, it may be better to have Jones’ bat backing Cole over the next three years rather than Suárez’s bat backing Will Warren this year. If the Yankees are dealing for rentals at the deadline, it’s best to leave Jones out of it.
Maple Leafs continue to play moneyball: Three big names in play
With Mitch Marner’s move to the Vegas Golden Knights closing a major chapter in Toronto, GM Brad Treliving made a series of moves to replace his production. He might not be done. Three may be even bolder moves on the horizon. We’ve heard the names Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf before. However, the Maple Leafs are actively fielding and exploring trade scenarios as they look to reshape their roster — and according to Nick Kypreos, a handful of intriguing names are emerging in trade chatter: Morgan Rielly, Brandon Carlo, and former Leafs fan-favorite Nazem Kadri. The most surprising name still generating buzz is Rielly. Despite being a longtime cornerstone on Toronto’s blue line, his $7.5 million cap hit and no-move clause complicate matters. Yet with the team needing help up front, and possible interest in offensive defensemen like Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson, Rielly could become part of a larger plan if he’s open to waiving. Also surprising is the talk surrounding Carlo. A recent addition to the Leafs’ defense corps, he is already being talked about behind the scenes as a potential trade piece. If he were made available, there is interest around the league, as the 6-foot-6 shutdown defender has a team-friendly cap hit and strong penalty-killing ability. Trading Carlo could get the Leafs a top-six forward. Finally, reports on the availability of Kadri remain conflicting. Some say he’s not available, while others suggest that the Calgary Flames would consider the idea. The former Maple Leaf would be a welcome addition back to Toronto, but there isn’t much of a reason for the Flames to trade him unless the return is outstanding. Kadri reportedly would consider waiving his no-move clause for a reunion. That said, getting a deal done won’t be easy, especially with Montreal also rumored to be on his short list. Whether any of these deals come to pass or are just pure speculation, one thing’s sure: the Maple Leafs aren’t standing still. Treliving is trying to get his roster to score more goals. He seems willing to entertain any idea and play Moneyball with the roster if it will help.
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