3 things we learned from UFC 274

UFC 274 was a great PPV that produced many unreal moments. Two title fights and 12 other fights left a lot to remember.

Saturday, May 7, gave us UFC 274 in Phoenix, AZ. It was a 14-fight card headlined by Charles Olivera and Justin Gaeethje. Olivera ended the fight by submission in the first round, winning him the fight but not the title. Carla Esparza also upset Rosa Namajunas to become the new strawweight champion. Finally, Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell won the Fight of the Night bonus and Michael Chandler and Andre Fialho got the Performance of the Night bonuses.

Stars were made and legacies were cemented. A lot of things happened which means the UFC had a great night.

3 things we learned from UFC 274

1. Brandon Royval is title shot ready

Royval had a lot of hype around him when he first came into the UFC. Royval earned back-to-back submission victories over Tim Elliot and then Kai Kara-France. Potential title shot rumors were surrounding Royval. That’s when he suffered back-to-back losses to Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja. Needing a win now, Royval defeated Rogerio Bontorin by a split decision on Jan. 15, 2022.

With the momentum behind him, Royval headed into UFC 274 with a fight against Matt Schnell. He would submit Schnell in the first round and earn himself a fight of the night bonus; his third since his debut in May of 2020. Royval now holds a record of 14-6 and he’s ended 12 of his fights by a finish. Royval is currently approaching the top five in the rankings. He is bound for a title eliminator fight again. Royval was last in this situation against Moreno. He’s now got some UFC experience with him now. He is title-shot ready this go around.

2. Michael Chandler is bound for some big money fights

On Sept. 17, 2020, the UFC signed Chandler from Bellator. Chandler would get the right to be the backup in the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje fight and fans were wondering why Chandler is already so close to a title shot? Chandler would then have a fight against Dan Hooker where he knocked out Hooker in the first round. That knock-out earned Chandler a title fight against Charles Olivera. Chandler ended up losing, but fans were wondering why Chandler is getting these massive opportunities?

Chandler would then fight Gaethje in what was one of the best fights we’ve ever seen. Then, at UFC 274, Chandler produces what may be Knockout of the Year when he hit Ferguson with a kick to the face that left Ferguson out cold. Chandler has been nothing but excitement since he joined the UFC. Just 24 hours later, Conor McGregor has expressed his interest in fighting Chandler and Dustin Poirier has sent out tweets as well. Chandler is getting eyes on him. It is quite clear that Chandler is bound for some big money fights.

3. Charles Olivera is chasing status

At UFC 274, Olivera submitted Gaethje in round one to extend his win streak to 11 straight; 10 by finish. This win streak includes victories over Poirier, Ferguson, and Chandler. His 20 finishes and 17 submission victories are the most in UFC. With a record of 33-8 and having 30 finishes, it’s time to realize Olivera is chasing status.

Olivera has 30 fights within the UFC. That is ninth all-time in the UFC. Olivera is also the youngest active UFC fighter on the top 10 list by five years. Oliveira has already accomplished so much in the UFC yet it still feels as if he’s just getting started. In his first 20 fights in the UFC, Olivera amassed a record of 10-8 and just seemed like another fighter in the UFC. He’s now gone on and won 11 straight. Olivera has one of the craziest stories to grace MMA and he’s built quite the legacy. But now Olivera is chasing status.