Tony Ferguson

UFC Matchmaker: Justin Gaethje – Michael Chandler

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There is so much movement and so many exciting things happening in the UFC‘s lightweight division. Just this past week, we saw the Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier rematch made official and Tony Ferguson will be fighting Charles Oliveira. 

Both of those are insane matchups for fight fans. That being said, there are even more exciting matchups on the horizon for the UFC‘s lightweight division. The biggest MMA signing in 2020 had to be Michael Chandler signing with the UFC.

The former three time Bellator lightweight champion will finally get the chance to prove himself amongst the elite. However, the promotion has not been able to find Chandler an opponent quite yet.

Chandler was the backup for UFC 254 when Justin Gaethje took on Khabib Nurmagomedov. That night, Nurmagomedov ran through Gaethje to retain his UFC lightweight championship then announced his retirement. Although, his retirement seems to be up in the air.

Justin Gaethje wanted to get right back into the swing of things after the loss. He didn’t take much damage and he was itching to get back into the cage. Gaethje needs an opponent and Michael Chandler still isn’t booked. You see where I’m going with this?

Will the UFC book it?

I think given the current landscape, it makes all the sense in the world to have Justin Gaethje (22-3) fight Michael Chandler (21-5). It’s an excellent stylistic matchup for fans and both guys need a fight.

Chandler was trying to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 257 when McGregor takes on Poirier. However, Ferguson was adamant about fighting in 2020 which is how he landed on the Charles Oliveira fight.

By all accounts, Chandler wants to make his UFC debut in January. Justin Gaethje is wanting to get back into the cage so it makes sense to pair the two. The other option for either man would be Dan Hooker.

Unfortunately for Hooker, he appears to be the odd man out at the moment. Ariel Helwani said yesterday that it appears that Michael Chandler might have an opponent for UFC 257. Hooker has been calling for a fight with Gaethje while we haven’t heard much from the former interim champion.

My guess is that the promotion is moving to book Gaethje – Chandler. In theory, the winner of that fight would fight the winner of the McGregor – Poirier fight sometime next summer. If Khabib is truly done, the winners would face for the undisputed UFC lightweight championship.

In this scenario the two odd men out would be whoever wins between Ferguson – Oliveira and Dan Hooker. Given the timelines, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the UFC book those two against each other sometime in the spring.

UFC books Tony Ferguson – Charles Oliveira

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Tony Ferguson, UFC

Some breaking news has come in tonight on the UFC front. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was first to report this evening that the promotion is finalizing a big time lightweight matchup between Tony Ferguson (25-4) and Charles Oliveira (29-8, 1 NC).

The fight will take place on December 12th at UFC 256. This fight is a much needed addition to the UFC 256 card that has seen two title fights erased from the card due to injuries. Ferguson was originally calling for a fight with Michael Chandler on that card. 

However, Chandler countered offering to fight Ferguson in January. Ferguson came back to the UFC and said that he wanted to fight in December and they found a willing opponent in Charles Oliveira.

Ferguson hasn’t fought since he lost to Justin Gaethje back in May. Prior to that loss, Ferguson hadn’t lost since 2012. The former interim UFC lightweight champion has remained the boogey man of the division for a reason.

This is a massive opportunity for Charles Oliveira. Oliveira has always been looked at as someone with tremendous talent, but he never quite put everything together. Well, he’s currently on a seven fight winning strike that has found him ranked sixth in the UFC‘s lightweight division.

UFC 256 lightweight showdown

This is such a fantastic matchup for the UFC 256 card. It’s a good fight and a fun fight stylistically. If you look at the skillset of both men, the fight on paper would favor the former UFC interim champion, Tony Ferguson.

You have to imagine that Ferguson will have the advantage on the feet. Ferguson is extremely slick on the ground, however, on the ground is where Oliveira is likely going to have the advantage.

If this fight touches the mat, I’m expecting some very entertaining reversals and scrambles. On the feet, I think these two are going to scrap. UFC 256 needed a banger and it got a good one in Tony Ferguson – Charles Oliveira.

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.

Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier official for UFC 257

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The wait and the negotiations are finally over. The UFC has finally come to terms with both fighters and the rematch that the world is waiting on is booked. Per MMA Fighting, Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) has agreed to terms and the rematch with Conor McGregor (22-4) is on.

The two men will headline UFC 257 that will take place on January 23rd. The date was created specifically for the McGregor – Poirier rematch, but there’s been doubts around the fight over the past week. In fact, there’s been talk the UFC might pivot from Poirier.

Yesterday, it was reported that the UFC was considering moving on from Poirier to book McGregor against Justin Gaethje. This was looked at as a tactic to put a little pressure on The Diamond who had been at odds with UFC brass.

Poirier was originally supposed to face Tony Ferguson back in October. However, that fight fell apart due to financial negotiations. Then, the McGregor – Poirier rematch started picking up steam, but it wasn’t smooth sailing in getting the fight booked.

McGregor had agreed to terms with the promotion, but the UFC was still having trouble with Poirier. This promoted the promotion to start working on alternative plans with Justin Gaethje. We don’t know which side ultimately caved, but the fight is now official.

UFC 257

Conor McGregor last fought at UFC 246 in January of this year. After the victory, McGregor openly talked about his desire to remain active in his MMA career. He wanted a 2020 season that would culminate with him winning the lightweight championship again.

However, the pandemic through everything off. McGregor ended up retiring and having a public spat with UFC President Dana White. McGregor challenged Dustin Poirier to a fight for charity that had nothing to do with the UFC following Poirier’s struggles with the promotion.

Both men agreed, but that prompted the UFC to get to work on booking the fight. It wasn’t easy, but now it is official. These two men fought at featherweight when McGregor was on the rise in his career. Poirier is far better now, but you could make the same argument for McGregor.

The rematch should be a lot of fun and it will be a massive event for the UFC‘s lightweight division.

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.

UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter officially returns in March of 2021

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UFC, Dana White

Tonight on the UFC Vegas 12 broadcast, it was officially announced that The Ultimate Fighter would be returning in March of 2021. The Ultimate Fighter will feature fighters in the men’s bantamweight division and the middleweight division.

The UFC‘s reality show will air exclusively on ESPN+. On the broadcast, it was announced that the UFC is currently conducting virtual auditions for the show. The announcement was made tonight for the show, but there was one thing missing.

The UFC did not announce who would be the coaches for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. There has been plenty of speculation about who could be the coaches. However, we were left in the dark on that one.

The show has produced some of the best fighters the promotion has ever seen. Guys like Kamaru Usman and Tony Ferguson are two that come to mind. UFC champions have been bred from The Ultimate Fighter, and it’s very exciting that the UFC is officially bringing it back to ESPN+.

Who will be the UFC’s coaches?

While there were no official announcements from the UFC, we can certainly start to speculate on who will coach the next season of TUF. One option that sticks out in my mind would be to have Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns coach the next season.

The two were originally supposed to fight at UFC 256, however the fight was scrapped due to some lingering injuries for Burns. We don’t know when exactly the fight will take place. However, if it can’t take place until April, that would be an option for the promotion.

A sexier option could be to have Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington coach the next season. Masvidal has blossomed into one of the biggest stars in the sport. Colby Covington who’s his former friend has turned into his biggest rival.

The UFC is currently working to book those two in a fight against each other, but nothing is finalized. Perhaps they could coach the next season of TUF to build that fight up even more. However, I’m not sure the UFC will want to push the fight that far out.

Another possibility would be Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz. Tonight, the promotion announced that Adesanya would be moving up to light heavyweight to challenge Blachowicz next year. Could be another avenue for the promotion to build up one of their biggest stars.

UFC: Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier 2 a ‘Done deal’ per Dana White

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The biggest star in the MMA is officially back. Tonight, Dana White announced at the UFC Vegas 12 post-fight press conference that Conor McGregor (22-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) will officially be fighting in January.

White said that the fight is a, “Done deal.” The UFC‘s biggest star will be returning after another 12 month layoff. McGregor returned last January and defeated Donald Cerrone in under a minute at UFC 246. McGregor said in the post-fight interview he was back and wanted to be active.

However, the pandemic really threw off everything. McGregor was desperate to get back into the cage, however, the UFC wanted to wait for fans to be back in the stands. A frustrated McGregor decided to retire from the sport due to the lack of fights.

However, nobody really believed that he was retired. Dustin Poirier has had his own interesting year with the UFC. Poirier fought and defeated Dan Hooker back in June. After that, the UFC looked like they were going to book Poirier against Tony Ferguson.

However, that fight never came together due to financial disagreements between Poirier and the UFC. With Poirier set to take on McGregor, we can expect the payday to be much higher for the diamond in this one.

Analyzing the UFC lightweight contest

The two men will be fighting for the second time. The first fight came back at UFC 176 when both were still competing in the featherweight division. The two had a very heated buildup to their first contest inside the octagon.

McGregor was able to win that fight by first round knockout. Since then, McGregor blew up into the biggest star the UFC has ever seen. He became a two-division world champion and even got the chance to make close to nine figures in a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

Poirier moved up to lightweight and became one of the best in the world. He even became the UFC‘s interim lightweight champion last year. This fight is going to be so interesting because they have both grown so much since their first contest. It’ll be another smash PPV for the UFC with their cash king back.

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?