Michael Chandler

UFC: Dana White says that Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again

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In January, Conor McGregor (22-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) are expected to headline UFC 257. The card will take place on January 23rd and it will be a massive fight for the UFC‘s lightweight division.

Many have been speculating on what will be on the line that night. Will the winner earn a shot at the lightweight championship, or will the winner become the UFC‘s lightweight champion.

The reason that there’s questions is due to current champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0). Nurmagomedov stormed through Justin Gaethje last month at UFC 254 to successfully defend his lightweight crown.

After the fight was over, Khabib laid his gloves in the center of the cage and said that he was retiring. However, UFC President, Dana White, has been saying recently that he doesn’t think Nurmagomedov might be retiring.

With Nurmagomedov retired, it would make sense for the UFC to put up the lightweight title for the McGregor – Poirier fight. However, last night, Dana White doubled down and said that there would be no title on the line on January 23rd.

UFC’s Lightweight Situation

When asked about the title and the January PPV, White told the media, “No. Khabib’s gonna fight. I believe he’s gonna fight. It’s (UFC 257) not for the title.” White shut down the notion that McGregor and Poirier would determine the lightweight champion.

If that holds true, there are a lot of questions surrounding what will happen with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov’s father, who passed away this year, wanted him to retire at 30-0. However, his father had one fight in mind for that final fight.

It’s been said that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov wanted Khabib to fight Georges St. Pierre in his final fight. A fight between those two could determine who is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

The former two-division world champion, GSP, has said that he is interested in fighting Khabib. There is so much respect there, but this would be a legacy matchup for both men.

If I had to guess, I think we are going to see the following situation play out. McGregor and Poirier will fight in January with Michael Chandler facing Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of the evening.

The winner of those two fights will fight each other. While that mini tournament is going on, Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight Georges St. Pierre at lightweight to determine the greatest fighter of all time.

Either Khabib will retire at 30-0 or GSP will become the first fighter in history to have captured titles in three weight classes. A very fluid but fun situation in the UFC‘s lightweight division at the moment.

UFC: Michael Chandler gives a counter offer to Tony Ferguson

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Michael Chandler

It’s a very interesting time in the UFC‘s lightweight division. Khabib Nurmagomedov might or might not be retired. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are supposed to fight, but the deal still isn’t signed.

On top of that, Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson are calling each other out, but a fight hasn’t been made. The UFC is dealing with several interesting personalities and situations trying to get fights booked.

Just this week, Tony Ferguson called out Michael Chandler for a fight at UFC 256 in December. That card has had some major blows dealt to it and as a result, Ferguson called for a co-main event slot against Michael Chandler.

The UFC previously had offered Chandler to Ferguson back in October. However, Ferguson was not interested in taking the fight against Chandler. A couple of months later and Ferguson has changed his tune about the potential matchup.

However, there’s one problem to all of this. Michael Chandler won’t be ready to fight Ferguson next month. After UFC 254, Chandler took a little break after back-to-back camps, and he would like a full camp to prepare for El Cucuy.

UFC 257 Co-Main?

“There is a zero percent chance I’ll fight Tony Ferguson in December. Tony, you had the opportunity to fight me in October and you said no. You didn’t bring up fighting in December until it was way past the 11th hour. Let’s be realist and sign up for January 23,” Chandler told ESPN.

Right now, UFC 257 is scheduled for January 23rd and the main event is supposed to be McGregor – Poirier. In all likelyhood, that fight is going to get finalized sooner rather than later.

The card currently has no co-main event, but Chandler sees it as the perfect opportunity for the matchup. These two matchups would line up perfectly for the UFC lightweight tournament that Chandler proposed back at UFC 254.

This is a very interesting situation and I’m very curious to see how it plays out. Chandler and Ferguson is the fight to make, I just hope that egos and contracts don’t get in the way of this matchup.

UFC: Tony Ferguson calls for a fight with Michael Chandler

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Tony Ferguson, UFC

There is no division in the UFC that is as exciting as the lightweight division. One of the most exciting fighters in that division is El Cucuy, Tony Ferguson. Ferguson last fought back at UFC 249 when he lost to Justin Gaethje.

Since then, Ferguson has been itching to get back into the octagon. The UFC was trying to book him against Dustin Poirier for UFC 254. However, that fight fell apart due to financial negotiations with Poirier and the UFC. 

The promotion has moved on to booking Poirier against Conor McGregor. Meanwhile the promotion signed former Bellator champion, Michael Chandler. They offered Chandler to Tony Ferguson, however, Ferguson didn’t seem interested. 

Well, some time has passed and Ferguson seems to be changing his tune. The former interim lightweight champion took to Twitter last night to call out the former Bellator champion for a fight in December.

New fight for UFC 256?

The UFC always tries to build up their final PPV card of the year. Last year they had three titles on the line in their final PPV card. This year at UFC 256, the promotion has lost two title fights originally scheduled for that event.

Now, there is one title fight left which is the bantamweight title fight between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. However, the card needs a little more star power after losing Amanda Nunes last week. 

Tony Ferguson has opened the door for the UFC to book a helluva lightweight matchup for that card. Michael Chandler has been itching for a big time fight since he signed with the promotion.

However, the promotion was struggling to book him a fight. He wanted to jump right in to take on someone in the UFC‘s top five to see right away whether he belonged or not. It appears he’s going to get that chance.

Chandler has been very vocal about his desire to fight Tony Ferguson. Now that it appears Ferguson is on board, all the attention will turn to the UFC brass. I think there’s a pretty high probability that this fight gets made for UFC 256.

BREAKING: Rafael Dos Anjos – Paul Felder to headline UFC Vegas 14

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What a 24 hours it has been for UFC Vegas 14. First, it was announced last night that Islam Makhachev was out of the main event. This is the second time that the proposed fight with Rafael Dos Anjos (29-13) had fallen through.

From there, the UFC began to work on a replacement for RDA. Dos Anjos called out Michael Chandler last night, however, Chandler said that he had other plans and wouldn’t be stepping in. The UFC never offered the fight to Chandler.

Well, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC has found their replacement for Makhachev. The Irish Dragon, Paul Felder (17-5) will be stepping in on short notice to face Dos Anjos in the main event of UFC Vegas 14.

The crazy thing to me is that the fight is still going to take place at lightweight despite the short notice. Another crazy thing is that apparently Felder has agreed to the fight remaining 25 minutes despite having no training camp. Tons of respect for the Irish Dragon.

UFC Vegas 14’s New Main Event

This is literally the best case scenario for the UFC. They are able to keep their main event together, and now, they actually have a higher ranked opponent for RDA. Sure the fight was supposed to showcase and test Makhachev, but who doesn’t want to see Felder back in there.

The last time we saw Felder compete was back in February. The Irish Dragon was in an absolute war with Dan Hooker. In Hooker’s home of Australia, Felder fought him to a brutal split decision. However, Felder showed just how good he was that night.

Felder will enter the cage as the seventh ranked lightweight in the world on Saturday night. It’s a completely different fight for Dos Anjos, but it should be a fantastic matchup in the lightweight division. Fight fans should be pumped that the UFC was able to pull this off.

Michael Chandler turns RDA down; Says UFC has other plans for him

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Michael Chandler

Last night news broke that the UFC Vegas 14 headliner was in jeopardy after Islam Makhachev had to pull out. Makhachev was scheduled to headline the event next Saturday opposite of former UFC lightweight champion, Rafael Dos Anjos.

The UFC is currently working on a replacement opponent to headline against RDA. However, the former champion came out last night and called out Michael Chandler on Twitter. That’s who RDA wanted in the main event.

A lot of fans seemed intrigued by the matchup. Fighting a former UFC champion would be a good way for Chandler to kickoff his career inside the octagon. However, Chandler has come out today and said that he will not be headlining next week’s card.

Fans were commenting on Chandler’s Instagram page about the potential fight. Chandler responded saying, “We have other plans.” So for now, it will appear that RDA is not going to get his wish of fighting Michael Chandler next Saturday.

What could those UFC plans be?

Since Chandler was signed by the UFC, the promotion has made him a very big deal. He was the backup for the UFC 254 main event, and they’ve tried to book him against Tony Ferguson. However, Ferguson didn’t seem interested in the fight.

Conor McGregor is supposed to fight Dustin Poirier in January. With that in mind, there are a few options for the UFC and Michael Chandler. Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker, and Tony Ferguson are all out there as potential opponents for the former Bellator lightweight champion.

There have also been rumors around Chandler potentially being one of the TUF coaches this year. Either way, I’m expecting the UFC to book Chandler against one of the best guys in the world for his debut. It will truly be a sink or swim test for the former Bellator champion.

Islam Makhachev out of UFC Vegas 14 Main Event

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UFC Vegas 14 has lost it’s main event. Tonight it was announced that Islam Makhachev was forced to withdrawal from next week’s main event against Rafael Dos Anjos. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

This fight was originally supposed to take place at UFC 254. However, due to RDA testing positive for COVID-19, the fight was moved to next weekend where it was going to headline. Now, the promotion is forced to scramble.

UFC Vegas 14 was not the strongest card on paper. It’s not an easy card to just slide the co-main event into the main event slot. However, the promotion does have options. ESPN is reporting that the UFC is trying to find a replacement opponent to keep Dos Anjos in the main event.

This is a tough break for fight fans who were excited to see Makhachev fight a guy like Dos Anjos. The former UFC lightweight champion has already been campaigning for his new opponent. He seems interested in fighting Michael Chandler.

What will the UFC do?

As you can see, RDA is very interested in having the UFC book him against Michael Chandler. However, I don’t think the promotion will make that happen. Many wanted to have Chandler face Makhachev after RDA fell out, but the promotion has different plans for Chandler.

That being said, I’m not sure who the UFC will try to pair up with Dos Anjos. They will likely look at fighters who compete at lightweight and welterweight for this main event slot. However, it’s going to be difficult to get a big name with just six days notice.

We will continue to monitor what the UFC is planning on doing with the main event next week. This is a really tough blow for both guys and for fans who were excited to see the matchup. I’m sure the promotion is going to be working very quickly to get a new opponent for RDA.

Could the UFC do a lightweight tournament?

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UFC, Dana White

This past weekend at UFC 254, Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje to retain his lightweight championship. After the fight was over, Khabib laid his gloves in the center of the octagon and said that he had fought his final fight in the UFC.

With that, the UFC‘s lightweight division has just been blown open. Nobody really knows what the promotion is going to do with the lightweight title now that Khabib Nurmagomedov is walking away from the sport.

Michael Chandler was in attendance because he was the backup fighter. Chandler had a suggestion for the UFC and that was to put on a lightweight tournament for the vacant title. The UFC hasn’t put on tournaments since the early days.

Well, I guess there was the flyweight tournament back in 2012. However, that was to crown a new champion in a new division. Chandler’s idea is definitely interesting for the promotion. I could also see the promotion making the Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier fight for the title.

McGregor is the last undisputed lightweight champion not named Khabib Nurmagomedov. Meanwhile Poirier is the former UFC interim lightweight champion and he knocked out Justin Gaethje who was the interim champion entering UFC 254.

What will the UFC do?

There are a lot of people who want to see Justin Gaethje right back in a title fight. However, I don’t think the UFC is going to do that. The McGregor – Poirier fight just makes too much sense for the vacant lightweight championship.

I think you’ll see the UFC look to book Michael Chandler against Tony Ferguson. I think they really want to make that fight, and it would be a fun matchup for fans. They could then make a fight between Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker.

The winners of those two fights could then face off for a chance to fight the winner of the McGregor – Poirier fight. The UFC is planning on McGregor – Poirier in January, and I bet the winner likely wouldn’t defend the title until the July PPV.

That would give the promotion time in the middle to have the winners face each other. So in a sense, it would be like a tournament. However, it would be a tournament to face the champion which will be decided in January.

I don’t know what the UFC will do and frankly they probably won’t do that. However, I think this would be a good way to get everyone matched up. The McGregor – Poirier fight is already almost done, why not up the stakes and make it even bigger by throwing the title on the line?

What’s next for Justin Gaethje after UFC 254?

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Yesterday, Justin Gaethje got the opportunity he’s worked his whole career for. He got the chance to headline against arguably the greatest of all time at UFC 254. Gaethje entered the cage yesterday as the interim champion.

Standing across from him was the undisputed king, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov entered a perfect 28-0, and nobody had really ever come close to defeating the UFC‘s lightweight champion.

However, Gaethje was looked at as the most dangerous opponent. He brought power striking and wrestling credentials to the table. Khabib’s star factor and Gaethje’s style made yesterday must see TV for any fan of the UFC.

There were a couple of times during the fight that Gaethje looked good. He hit Khabib with some good leg kicks, and he landed some solid shots. However, he really struggled with the pressure that Khabib put on him in the UFC 254 main event.

Nurmagomedov showed no respect for the power of Gaethje. He just walked through everything and you could tell he was tiring Gaethje. In the second round, Nurmagomedov secured a takedown and transitioned to a triangle choke where he put Gaethje to sleep.

What’s next for Gaethje after UFC 254?

No matter how you slice it, UFC 254 was a disappointment for Justin Gaethje. However, there’s no shame in it considering all the best at lightweight have suffered the same fate at the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov retired after the main event concluded yesterday which opens the lightweight division up. Gaethje should be right back in the conversation for a crack at the vacant UFC lightweight champion.

In his post-fight interview, Gaethje had mentioned that he didn’t take a ton of damage so he wanted to get right back in there. I think the UFC is probably going to make McGregor – Poirier the fight for the vacant UFC championship.

Gaethje deserves a spot in the conversation, but I think the promotion ultimately goes that way. That being said, I would love to see Gaethje paired up with Michael Chandler. Chandler was the backup fighter for yesterday’s UFC 254 main event.

The promotion holds him in high regards so I think it would be fitting to pair the two up. Either make them a main event or put them on the same card as McGregor-Poirier. The two winners face off in the summer for the UFC lightweight championship.

Could McGregor – Poirier be for the vacant UFC lightweight title?

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Conor McGregor, UFC

Yesterday at UFC 254, Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) completely dominated Justin Gaethje (22-3) and retained his lightweight champion. Nurmagomedov was overcome with emotions after he was able to win by triangle choke.

The UFC lightweight champion lost his father earlier this year due to COVID-19. Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap, had been Khabib’s lead trainer for his entire career. There were questions surrounding his fighting future after his father passed.

However, the UFC lightweight champion wanted to keep going to honor his father. At UFC 254, he might have put on the best performance of his career in stopping Justin Gaethje. After the fight was over Khabib laid his gloves in the middle of the cage and retired from the sport.

With some fighters, there are questions and doubts when they first announce retirement. However, I think the majority of the MMA community believes Nurmagomedov will not be back in the UFC. That leaves a vacancy at the top of the lightweight division.

The division is absolutely littered with killers, and I guarantee, none of them are sad to see Nurmagomedov leave the division. So the question now becomes, who will get the first crack at the vacant UFC lightweight championship?

McGregor – Poirier for the vacant UFC title?

Before I get into McGregor – Poirier, I will say that Justin Gaethje deserves to be in the conversation for the first shot. He was the interim champion yesterday and just knocked off Tony Ferguson earlier this year to win that title.

However, I think there’s a clear front-runner for the vacant UFC title. The promotion is planning on having Conor McGregor (22-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) fight in January. Both men have agreed to the fight.

Poirier was the interim champion last year before losing to Nurmagomedov. He bounced back in June to defeat Dan Hooker. McGregor also last lost in a title fight to Nurmagomedov, but he bounced back and knocked out Donald Cerrone back in January.

The UFC wanted McGregor to face Nurmagomedov again if Khabib won yesterday. Now that Khabib has retired, it makes perfect business sense to book McGregor in the next title fight. Also, Poirier has just as much of a case as Gaethje considering he was also the interim champion.

There are several guys in the mix at the top of the division. You have McGregor, Gaethje, Poirier, Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, and Dan Hooker. You could pair all those guys up, but I think McGregor – Poirier is likely going to determine the next UFC lightweight champion.

Tony Ferguson is becoming fed up with the UFC

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Tony Ferguson, UFC

One of the best lightweights in the world is not very happy with the UFC. That lightweight would be former interim champion Tony Ferguson. El Cucuy hasn’t fought since May when he lost an interim title fight to Justin Gaethje.

Ferguson was originally supposed to face UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, that night, but due to travel restrictions, the fight was cancelled. Ferguson took the fight against Gaethje and was stopped in the fifth round.

Since then, we have not seen Ferguson in action. However, the UFC has tried to make fights for Ferguson. The promotion was trying to book Ferguson opposite Dustin Poirier as the co-main event for this weekend’s UFC 254 card.

However, due to financial negotiations, the fight never came to fruition. Following that, the UFC offered Ferguson a fight against Michael Chandler, however, Ferguson was not interested in fighting Chandler because he viewed it as a step back.

Now, Ferguson appears to be the odd man out at lightweight. The UFC seems to be closing in on booking the rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Ferguson’s logical opponent is Michael Chandler, but again, Ferguson doesn’t want that fight. He’s becoming increasingly frustrated with the promotion.

El Cucuy vs the UFC

“Chandler? Think about this: How many times are you going to put another f–king person in the f–king shuffle of cards? Dana keeps shuffling me down the list. What? Because I’m f–king Mexican? What’d I do to you? Why do you treat me like s–t,” Ferguson told MMA Junkie.

Ferguson went onto talk about how he feels that the UFC should pay him more given his history with the promotion. Ferguson has been with the UFC since 2011 when he won the Ultimate Fighter. He’s been one of the best lightweights in the world since that time.

Despite losing in his last fight at UFC 249, Ferguson wants his money to be raised for his next fight. If he doesn’t see the numbers climb, it appears that he’s willing to sit out. We’ve seen this several times this year with Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal. 

However, it’s very rare that these kind of situations ever favor the fighter. The UFC is booming right now and if Ferguson doesn’t want to fight, White and the UFC won’t cave. They could find another fight for Michael Chandler like Dan Hooker. 

At the end of the day, I think it’s best for all parties for this situation to be resolved. There has to be a middle ground somewhere that will make both sides happy. I think all fans would be happy to see Ferguson fighting again sooner rather than later.