Charles Oliveira vents his frustration at Michael Chandler and UFC 309 referee over illegal strikes that went unpunished

In the co-main event of UFC 309, Charles Oliveira put on a masterful performance as he outworked and outworked the insanely tough Michael Chandler en route to an impressive unanimous decision victory.

Still, the fight was not without its controversial moments, with UFC fans around the world lamenting both Michael Chandler and referee Keith Peterson for a series of illegal strikes that nearly ended the bout in the fifth.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Charles Oliveira expresses frustration with Michael Chandler over illegal strikes

Charles Oliveira put in a stunning performance last night at UFC 309; Chandler outscored 88-84 with significant offense, securing five slick takedowns and scoring nearly 15 full minutes of control time.

All three judges had the Brazilian superstar ahead on the scorecards (40-36, 40-36 and 40-35) heading into the fifth and final round, but this was where things got controversial.

After fighting his way to top position, Chandler pinned 'do Bronx' to the floor and as the crowd erupted, 'Iron' landed a series of powerful elbows and hammerfists to the back of his head.

At the post-fight press conference, Oliveira didn't want to kick Chandler while he was down, but still targeted both 'Iron' and their UFC 309 referee for not getting involved when the sixth, seventh or eighteenth illegal strike occurred.

“You know, I'm not here to criticize, but I want to tell you something, there was a lot of blows to the back of the head, a lot of grabbing at the fences, there was some eye pokes too and I told him. [the referee] what was going on.

“I kept asking for his attention and nothing happened. I was hoping he would intervene, but nothing happened, so I'm not here to criticize.”

Speaking to Full Send MMA after the event, Oliveira doubled down on his position that the illegal shots should not be held over Michael Chandler, who already had somewhat of a reputation for bending the rules with eye pokes, fence grabs and fish hooks.

“A great name, a great champion, one of the strongest guys I've ever fought here, so he deserves all the respect in the world… [He hit me with] many shots in the back of the head, [there were] there are some eyes in it, but you know what, that's part of it and I'm not going to criticize it.

UFC fighters and fans react to the fifth round of Oliveira vs Chandler 2

Considering that Oliveira is arguably the most popular lightweight in the world, it is no surprise that social media was flooded with comments criticizing both the American and referee Peterson for these illegal shots.

Chandler lost four rounds so Keith made him take all the shots to the back of his head 😂 #UFC309

— Billy Quarantillo (@BillyQMMA) November 17, 2024

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If Chandler isn't cheating, he isn't trying

— Sodiq Yusuff (@Super_Sodiq) November 17, 2024

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Didn't the referee see them all at the back of the head?

— Arnold Billy Allen (@Arnoldbfa) November 17, 2024

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Wow, what a crazy twist. 56 shots to the back of the head, but hey

— Sodiq Yusuff (@Super_Sodiq) November 17, 2024

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Oliveira himself has since shared this message on his X page: “I'm back. And my apologies for your higher heart rate on lap 5 (LOL). But Chandler is tough and hits hard. All respect. God bless us.”

With the win at UFC 309, 'do Bronx' improves his professional record to 35-10 and will likely be the next title challenger after the Arman Tsarukyan vs. Islam Makhachev rematch in early 2025.

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