It's crazy that Charles Oliveira is an underdog against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Michael Chandler disagrees with Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev.

According to Tipico, former champion Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) is a +135 underdog heading into his vacant lightweight title fight against Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC), which headlines UFC 280 on October 22 in Abu Dhabi.

Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) nearly defeated Oliveira when the pair fought for the title at UFC 262. She fell and injured Oliveira late in round 1, but was eventually knocked out in round 2. So, knowing how dangerous the UFC’s all-time leader is in finishes, Chandler is surprised to see Makhachev favored over Oliveira.

“Charles has the edge in my opinion,” Chandler told MMA Junkie at Kill Cliff Fight Club. “I think it’s crazy that he’s a loser, but I think Islam has the tools to be able to win. So we’ll see what happens on October 22nd. I will be watching this very closely and hope to face the winner.

“You certainly can’t say that Islam isn’t proven, but you can certainly say – I think there’s a certain mystique, there’s this definite correlation that we want to make between Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and Islam, and then you have (coach) Javier Mendez comes out and says Islam is better than Khabib. You have Khabib saying Islam is better than Khabib. You have this big hype machine coming in.”

Chandler faces Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 on November 12. With a win, he hopes to clinch the winner of Oliveira vs. Makhachev and sees advantages either in the fight.

“For me, who would I rather face? I think it’s 50-50,” Chandler said. “I think if it’s Charles, I’d love to be able to get the rematch. I think I was so close to winning the title against Charles. I think we tape each other. We have highlights where they fight each other. We both had our ups and downs in that fight. And I’d also like, if Islam beats Charles, I’d like to be the guy who stops the Islam hype train if he wins.”

For more on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub for UFC 280.