NEW YORK – Michael Chandler sees himself as the soon-to-be No. 1 contender in the UFC lightweight division.
That’s right, Chandler, a former Bellator champion and UFC title challenger, believes he’ll become the top contender at 155 pounds once he avenges his loss to Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309.
Despite coming off a loss and being two years away from competition, Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) believes he’s in a good position and strongly believes he’s fighting for a UFC title shot on Saturday.
“I’m just happy I’m in this position, and I don’t even have a fraction of the number of UFC fights Poirier had or Charles has, or some of these other guys, but I’ve been in the UFC long enough and fought the toughest guys,” Chandler told reporters on Wednesday at the UFC 309 media day. “I obviously knocked out Dan Hooker, but now he’s ranked ahead of me because he’s had a resurgence. It’s the most violent and exciting division in the UFC, and I’m so blessed to be a part of it.
“On Saturday night, I will be very blessed to be the highest ranked guy in it not named Arman Tsarukyan or Islam Makhachev, and solidify myself as the No. 1 contender.”
‘Not afraid of letting all my chips on the table’
Chandler and Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) first fought in May 2021 for the vacant UFC lightweight title. That night in Texas, after a thrilling back-and-forth, Oliveira stopped Chandler in the second round. Now three years later, Islam Makhachev is the one that holds the UFC lightweight title and is expected to defend it against Tsarukyan in early 2025.
Chandler knows that fight is up next and expects to be the one after should he beat Oliveira. He’s unsure how things will play out given the different schedule but wouldn’t mind revisiting an old matchup.
“It depends on how it all plays out,” Chandler said. “I’ve laid out my road map on the mic, on camera. You obviously still got the Conor fight. That’s a possibility depending on when he gets his house in order and when he comes back, and when all that stuff gets figured out. I think it’s a fight that Conor wants. It’s a fight that I want. We need to finish ‘TUF 31,’ so that could be something that happens in between.
“I’m a guy who wants to lay all my chips on the table at times. I’m not afraid of letting all my chips on the table and bet on myself to say, ‘Hey, I already secured a title shot, but now Conor is coming back, you want to take that before you fight for the title and possibly take a chance on losing it?’ We’ll see what happens. I’m not saying yes to that. I’m not saying no to that. I also don’t know if I want to be off from November all the way to June, July or whenever it may be. I just spent two years on the sidelines. … We’ll see how it plays out.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.