The UFC lightweight title is on the line as the octagon lands in Houston for UFC 262. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of fight night in Texas.

The main event

The night’s headliner will feature a battle for the vacant undisputed UFC lightweight title, as Brazil’s Charles Oliveira takes on former three-time Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler for the belt formerly held by undefeated Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired last year.

Oliveira is the most prolific finisher in UFC history. 

His finish rate of 93.75% is a UFC all-time record, with his 10 submission wins are also the most in UFC history. 

The Brazilian has been a longtime contender at both featherweight and lightweight, but has found his best form at 155 pounds, and heads into fight night in Houston riding an eight-fight winning streak.

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Chandler, meanwhile, exploded his way into the UFC with a first-round TKO finish of Kiwi contender Dan Hooker at UFC 257 in January.

The American arrived in the UFC after a decorated career in rival promotion Bellator MMA, where he held the lightweight title on three separate occasions.

That fighting CV, coupled with his blistering debut performance against Hooker – and his stirring callout of Khabib in his post-fight interview – made Chandler an instant hit with the UFC fans and positioned him as a top contender for the recently-vacated 155-pound title.

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The co-main event

The night’s co-main event will see one of the sport’s most enigmatic characters return to the cage.

Tony Ferguson is a former UFC interim lightweight champion, whose quest to capture the undisputed title has been beset by injury, illness and sheer bad luck as his hotly-anticipated title clash with Khabib was booked, and cancelled, on five separate occasions.

Ferguson’s 12-fight winning streak came to an end last year when he was defeated by Justin Gaethje, and his subsequent decision loss to Oliveira put Ferguson on the first losing streak of his career.

Now “El Cucuy” is looking to make a statement and catapult himself back into title contention with victory over fellow contender Beneil Dariush, whose combination of heavy-handed striking and elite-level grappling has made him one of the most dangerous under-the-radar contenders in the UFC lightweight division.

Other key fights

The card also features a pivotal bout in the UFC’s women’s flyweight division, as fellow 125-pound contenders Katlyn Chookagian and Viviane Araujo go head to head in a bid to push themselves to the front of the queue for a title shot.

And there’s a potential fight of the night encounter at 145 pounds, as American “Hurricane” Shane Burgos takes on one of the most spectacular strikers in the sport, Brazilian veteran Edson Barboza.

There’s also British interest on the card, with England’s Mike Grundy in action on the preliminary card against flashy striker Lando Vannata in a featherweight bout.

When and where is UFC 262 taking place?

UFC 262 takes place Saturday, May 15 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

How can I watch UFC 262 live?

The fight card is split into three sections:

The early prelims are streamed exclusively live on the UFC’s streaming platform, UFC Fight Pass.

The preliminary card is shown live on BT Sport and UFC Fight Pass.

The main card is shown exclusively live on BT Sport.

BT Sport is the official broadcast partner of the UFC, and shows almost every numbered UFC event and all UFC Fight Night events via its channels and digital apps.

The only exception is for the specially-selected big-ticket events, which are shown via BT Sport’s pay-per-view platform, BT Sport Box Office. 

UFC 262 will be shown as part of BT Sport’s regular channel programming, so is not a pay-per-view event in the UK.

Can I watch UFC 262 online?

BT Sport subscribers can watch the event live via the BT Sport app, which is available on iOS and Android platforms. 

BT Sport shows every non-pay-per-view numbered UFC event and UFC Fight Night show via the

Can I stream UFC 262 to my TV?

BT Sport’s app is available for Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, XBox, PlayStation, Android TV, Roku and Samsung Smart TV, meaning fans can stream the live action via a big screen.

Alternatively, if your TV is compatible with Chromecast or Apple AirPlay, you can also cast the action from your mobile device straight to your TV.

Can I stream UFC 262 for free?

Fans looking to watch the UFC action can take advantage of a special offer from mobile provider EE.

EE customers with a Smart Plan can select BT Sport as a free benefit at no extra cost. Log into your My EE account to select BT Sport as your Smart Benefit.

Alternatively, EE customers without Smart Plans can add the BT Sport app as an add-on by logging into My EE on their phone or computer and clicking on Add-Ons, or by texting SPORT to 150 to receive three months of free access to BT Sport on the large screen.

The subscription can be cancelled at any point during the trial.

What time does UFC 262 start?

The early prelims will kick off at 11:30pm on UFC Fight Pass.

The preliminary card starts at 1:00am on BT Sport 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

The main card kicks off at 3:00am on BT Sport 1.

BT Sport is also running a host of preview content on BT Sport 1 from 10:30pm in the lead-up to fight night in Houston.

UFC 262 fight card

Main card

• Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler – for UFC lightweight title
• Beneil Dariush vs. Tony Ferguson
• Viviane Araujo vs. Katlyn Chookagian
• Edson Barboza vs. Shane Burgos
• Rogerio Bontorin vs. Matt Schnell

Preliminary card

• Andre Muniz vs. Ronaldo Souza
• Mike Grundy vs. Lando Vannata
• Andrea Lee vs. Antonina Shevchenko
• Jamie Pickett vs. Jordan Wright

Early prelims

• Priscila Cachoeira vs. Gina Mazany
• Kevin Aguilar vs. Tucker Lutz
• Christos Giagos vs. Sean Soriano