Charles Oliveira opens as a betting underdog for potential title fights against Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier

Charles Oliveira's impressive knockout win over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 did little to convince the oddsmakers. Early betting odds have put Oliveira in the underdog's seat in potential fights against Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

Poirier and McGregor are all set to settle the score in their trilogy fight at UFC 264 on July 10. Newly crowned champion Charles Oliveira will most likely fight the winner of the trilogy fight for the first defense of his lightweight strap.

The early betting odds by BetOnline.ag have put Charles Oliveira as a +155 and +145 underdog against Dustin Poirier (-180 favorite) and Conor McGregor (-165 favorite) respectively. A $100 bet on the champ will result in a $145 or $155 profit if he wins against Poirier and McGregor.

Former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement had left the UFC lightweight title up for grabs. Charles Oliveira (31-8-1NC MMA, 19-8-1NC UFC) fought former Bellator champion Michael Chandler (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) for the vacant title in the main event of UFC 262 on May 15. The closely contested bout saw Oliveira become the undisputed champion via second-round knockout. The win did not come without a fair share of adversity as Chandler's strikes seriously hurt Oliveira towards the end of the first round and threatened to end the Brazilian's title aspirations.

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor are two of the most elite strikers on the UFC roster. Both fighters have shown lethal finishing instincts in their UFC careers so far. Oliveira's vulnerability for a flash knockout, coupled with Poirier and McGregor's finishing ability, explains why the betting odds could have Oliveira as a betting underdog against both fighters. However, the newly crowned champ's submission game is second to none at the moment and that could change the course of any fight.

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor react to Charles Oliveira's title fight win at UFC 262

It took 11 years for Charles Oliveira to get a title shot after making his way into the UFC. The 31-year-old saw his momentum repeatedly derailed by losses to high-level competitors like Max Holloway, Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar, to name a few. However, a fairly consistent success rate since his move up from featherweight in 2017 pushed Charles Olveira towards the title fight. The champ's potential future opponent Dustin Poirier had a similar rise to the top and he acknowledged Oliveira's struggles in a congratulatory tweet.

Former UFC double champion Conor McGregor did not let go of the opportunity to promote his Whiskey brand, where he retained an active role after selling the majority stake. McGregor congratulated Charles Oliveira for becoming the eleventh UFC lightweight champion and questioned who the twelfth champion would be - seamlessly making a reference to his whiskey brand Proper Twelve and alluding that he was coming after the title.