Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler has finally joined the UFC.
UFC president Dana White recently announced that Chandler has been signed to an exclusive contract with the UFC and would immediately slot right into place as the backup for the upcoming UFC 254 title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje.
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Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev, the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC, will clash at UFC 284 on Feb. 11. Order the PPV now to watch the champion vs. champion fight live on Saturday.
In this video, Patrick Auger and Matthew Wells discuss Chandler joining the UFC and what it means for the lightweight division. Auger explains that it’s “crazy on so many levels” that Chandler could immediately slide into a title fight against Nurmagomedov or Gaethje on his debut.
Wells says as intriguing as those matchups are at the minute, he’d prefer to see Chandler face a top-five fighter not currently in title contention first.
Auger’s response to that suggestion is none other than Dan Hooker. Wells suggests that Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson would be a great idea.
It’s a crazy scenario and any kind of trouble for Nurmagomedov or Gaethje could result in one of the most fascinating UFC debuts in many years.
What do you think? Who would you like to see Chandler fight first?
