Tag: Michael Chandler

Triple Take: Who should coach ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reboot season?

“The Ultimate Fighter” reality series will return for its 29th season season in March. Who should coach? That’s this week’s topic.

“The Ultimate Fighter” reality series will return in March with the 29th season of the long-running reality show, which debuted back in 2005. After a more than two-year hiatus, the UFC officially announced over the weekend that “TUF” will back on ESPN+ next year.

Aside from revealing that the season will consist of middleweight and bantamweight fighters, no additional details were offered. It’s unknown if there will be any adjustments to the format, but all signs point to it remaining largely in tone with previous seasons, meaning two coaches will be at the helm of opposing teams.

So, who should be the coaches for the “TUF” reboot? Mike Bohn, Nolan King and John Morgan answer in the latest edition of Triple Take.

Spinning Back Clique: On Khabib’s retirement, legacy and ramifications to follow

Check out the latest episode of Spinning Back Clique, which covers the fallout from UFC 254 and looks ahead to Bellator 250.

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, Simon Head hosts the panel of MMA Junkie Radio hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” as well as MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura. Let’s get after it!

SHOW TOPICS

  • This past Saturday at UFC 254, [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] retained the lightweight title with yet another dominant performance, this time submitting [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] in the second round of their main event. Afterward, Nurmagomedov shocked the masses by announcing his retirement, citing a promise to his mother not to fight anymore now that his father, Abdulmanap, has passed away. This one doesn’t feel like most other MMA retirements, so our question is simple: Will Khabib’s stick?
  • On the heels of his retirement, everyone’s been talking about Nurmagomedov’s place among all-time great MMA fighters after he leaves with a perfect record of 29-0. One person not down with anyone’s claim of Khabib as the GOAT is Jon Jones. But what do you think? Is Khabib the MMA GOAT, or does he at least have a case?
  • Nurmagomedov’s retirement means the lightweight championship will be made vacant, which will have some major ramifications in the division, affecting the next bookings of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag], [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], Gaethje, and more. What does the UFC do now with the most stacked division in the sport?
  • Former middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] won his second straight fight at UFC 254 with an impressive performance against Jared Cannonier, and just like that, “The Reaper” has set himself up for a possible title rematch with [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]. HOWEVER, Adesanya has options. While a new challenger in Cannonier made all the sense for him to defend his title, Whittaker’s win complicates matters. Perhaps now is the time for Adesanya to move up and either challenge for the light heavyweight title or set up a showdown with rival Jon Jones?
  • Bellator 250 features one of the biggest fights of the year for the promotion as welterweight champ [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] moves up to fight [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] for the vacant middleweight title. Would it be better for business for Bellator to have a champ-champ in Lima or for Mousasi to reclaim the title?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 50 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.

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Michael Chandler pitches lightweight title tournament after Khabib’s retirement

Michael Chandler is ready to see the lightweight division move on from Khabib Nurmagomedov, and has an idea of how it can do so.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] is ready to see the UFC’s lightweight division move on from Khabib Nurmagomedov, and has an idea of how it can do so.

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from MMA Saturday following his successful title defense against Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 main event. The decision left the 155-pound weight class in disarray, but could set up some potentially exciting opportunities.

Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who was the backup fighter for Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje but was not needed, would like to see the UFC put together a tournament involving himself, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson to determine the next champion.

“When a man says he’s going to go, he’s going to go – but here we are,” Chandler told BT Sport after UFC 254. “I’m excited to be a part of the UFC lightweight division right now at the top when there is no UFC lightweight champion. So we’ll see what happens next. … I did mention Tony Ferguson’s name and we were talking about January, but now we’ve got Justin Gaethje in here talking about eight weeks from tonight wanting to fight for a title. Let’s be honest: I’m the new guy. I’m not going to come in here and say, ‘Hey guys I deserve a title shot.’ I’d love my name to be thrown into the mix.”

Although the UFC hasn’t been a proponent of tournaments since the earliest days of the sport, the lightweight belt being left up for grabs offers some good options. Chandler isn’t the only person to have suggested a tournament after UFC 254, and he said he’d like to see it materializing.

“I’d love the opportunity to fight in a four-man tournament for that title,” Chandler said. “Conor, Poirier, myself, Ferguson. There’s some names that need to be fighting for a title, so let’s make it happen.”

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Michael Chandler not interested in ‘changing courses’ to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 254

Michael Chandler is readying himself to compete on Oct. 24, but he won’t fight just anyone.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] is readying himself to compete on Oct. 24, but he won’t fight just anyone.

Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is serving as a backup fighter for the main event between lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, but said that he isn’t interested in fighting [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], who recently lost his opponent.

Makhachev (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was slated to face Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 254, but the former UFC lightweight champion was forced out after he tested positive for COVID-19. Makhachev declared his interest in facing Chandler, but Chandler said he wasn’t interested. As a result, Makhachev was removed from the card.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion explained that a matchup with 12th-ranked Makhachev wouldn’t make sense, considering that even if he doesn’t get to compete on Oct. 24, he’s still on the cusp of title contention.

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“The answer is no,” Chandler said. “I think there’s already been talks about the next move after this. The ship has sailed as far as – like I said, if Tony Ferguson did say, ‘Yeah OK, I’ll be your huckleberry Oct. 24,’ which if there’s anybody out there that might actually do something like that it would be Tony Ferguson, but at this point, I’m not changing courses. At this point I’m not taking a short notice fight against a guy, as I said, my words have been somewhat misconstrued and people are just hitting me up left and right.

“When I say people, I mean like Russians, Dagestanis, all these guys on the Khabib train – there’s millions and millions of them – they’re crushing me, calling me chicken and coward, but I didn’t sign this contract to go out there and fight anybody, especially on two weeks’ notice and change the opponent, change the plan and change everything. As of right now, I’m the backup for the world title fight, I’m keeping my body, my mind, my soul, my spirit ready for the next move.”

With a matchup between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier close to being finalized, Chandler mentioned that he has a hunch that he’d be matched up with Tony Ferguson next, which could potentially earn him a shot at the winner of Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje.

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Michael Chandler ready as backup for Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje, not opposed to fight with Tony Fergus

Michael Chandler ready as backup for Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje, not opposed to fight with Tony Ferguson

Michael Chandler ready as backup for Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje, not opposed to fight with Tony Ferguson

Michael Chandler has hunch first UFC fight will be vs. Tony Ferguson

Michael Chandler believes the way things are shaking out around the top of the lightweight division, a fight with Tony Ferguson could be in the cards.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] already has a potential winning lottery ticket in hand: A spot in the UFC 254 main event, should anything happen between now and Oct. 24 that causes either UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov or interim titleholder Justin Gaethje to drop out of the fight.

No doubt, anyone who’s followed this sport awhile understands there’s a real chance the former Bellator lightweight champ can end up in the fight; you also know the chances are probable that a pair as professional as Nurmagomedov and Gaethje are getting into the cage on fight night no matter what.

So that leaves an obvious next question for Chandler: If, as is likely, he doesn’t end up in the UFC 254, who should the recent free agent signing face in his UFC debut?

Through the powers of deductive reasoning, Chandler believes that with Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier looking likely to square off, he has a feeling his first trip to the octagon will see him square off with former interim champ Tony Ferguson.

“There’s been momentum brewing on Poirier’s side,” Chandler said at Thursday’s UFC 254 virtual media day. “Since he lost to Conor, he’s looked nothing but spectacular. Conor McGregor is the biggest draw in the history of combat sports. If that’s who Conor wants to fight, that’s who he’s going to fight. If I’m the guy he wants to fight, then he’s going to fight me.”

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“If those two guys are matched up, that takes out two guys in the top five,” Chandler continued. “Obviously with Khabib and Gaethje lined up, Conor and Poirier, that really only leaves Tony Ferguson. So I’d love the opportunity to fight Tony Ferguson.”

The mere fact that Chandler is the backup plan for Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje indicates the UFC plans on putting him into the deep end of the pool right away, which is just how Chandler wants it.

While a Ferguson fight seems like the most likely option, no matter how things break out, Chandler knows he’s likely to get an opponent he wants.

“I’d love the opportunity to fight anybody in the top five,” Chandler said. “We’ll see what happens but either way if I take my competitor hat off and put my fan hat on, Conor vs. Poirier is a great fight, even though I’d love to fight either of those guys.”

Dan Hooker wants to welcome Michael Chandler to the UFC then ‘send him back to the B leagues’

“I would love to be the guy to welcomes him to the UFC, knees his chin off, sends him back to the B leagues.”

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] sees a matchup with [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] as a perfect opportunity to get back into the lightweight title picture.

Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, didn’t only sign with the UFC, but he was also immediately pegged as a backup for the lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje at next month’s UFC 254.

And with the UFC holding Chandler in such high regard, he now has Hooker’s attention.

“Well, it was hard when people were speculating it and saying about the fight; it’s hard to know how much stock the UFC is putting into someone that’s coming from another organization,” Hooker told “Submission Radio.” “But for him to now be signed to the organization and being the fill-in for the title shot, now I know. Now I’m certain of how much stock (they’re putting in).

“The UFC is putting a lot of stock in on this kid. So, I would love to be the guy to welcomes him to the UFC, knees his chin off, sends him back to the B leagues.”

While Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) acknowledges Chandler’s skillset, he thinks there are levels to the game that the former Bellator champ hasn’t experienced just yet. Hooker is currently ranked in the top five of the UFC’s lightweight division and has won seven of his past nine.

“He’s good, he’s game, he’s a quality fighter,” Hooker said. “That’s not any knock on his skill or any knock on his ability, but I feel like we’re just a different caliber. He’s just going to be welcomed to a different caliber of fighter.”

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The original backup plan for the UFC 254 main event was to have Tony Ferguson fight Dustin Poirier. But after Poirier didn’t come to terms with the UFC, the promotion opted to place the newly signed Chandler as a reserve.

Hooker says he wasn’t contacted to potentially face Ferguson but would have definitely taken the call. Now, he says he’s also open to facing Chandler at UFC 254.

“One hundred percent I would have taken that opportunity,” Hooker said. “Yeah, it’s short. Yeah, it’s this, yeah it’s that. I would have 100 percent jumped on a plane and welcomed that opportunity with open arms. But obviously … well, the UFC wants to inject some new blood into the division, and that’s not something that I’m opposed to.

“So, yeah, just let me welcome the kid. You want to bring him over? I’m a top-five fighter, and I’m putting my hand up to say that I’m going to give him an opportunity and I’m going to welcome him to the UFC.”

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Michael Chandler: Justin Gaethje a threat, but betting against Khabib at UFC 254 is crazy

While Michael Chandler rates Justin Gaethje’s skills highly, he doesn’t think he’s the one to dethrone Khabib Nurmagomedov.

While [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] rates [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag]’s skills highly, he doesn’t think he’ll be the one to dethrone [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) challenges lightweight champion Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) in the UFC 254 main event Oct. 24 in a fight that the newly signed Chandler will serve as a backup for.

If Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) doesn’t get to fill in for either fighter, he will most certainly have his eyes on the matchup. It’s not guaranteed he’ll get an immediate title shot in his UFC debut, but the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion is confident he eventually will cross paths with the winner, who in his eyes, will be Nurmagomedov.

On paper, many are confident that with Gaethje’s wrestling background and knockout power, he will be Nurmagomedov’s toughest test to date. Chandler agrees, but thinks it’s hard to pick against the undefeated champion.

“I think Justin Gaethje looked like the best lightweight in the world in May when he fought Tony Ferguson,” Chandler told ESPN. “That version of Justin Gaethje, who stepped into that cage calm and composed and confident, smart and sharp, fighting with the tenacity that he normally brings to the cage, but not the overzealous, overanxious Justin Gaethje ‘I wanna rip your head off’ fighter that we’re used to seeing – that was the best version of Justin Gaethje that we’ve ever seen.

“Now, you take into consideration that Justin Gaethje was a Division-I wrestler, you take into consideration that we haven’t seen his wrestling, but know he’s got great athleticism, great hips, great instincts inside the cage – I think he poses the best threat that we’ve seen thus far against a guy like Khabib. But I still think you’re crazy if you do bet against Khabib.”

After a rocky start to his UFC career, Gaethje has recently tamed his style, which has led to four straight finishes. He found success in being the aggressor against Tony Ferguson, but Chandler thinks Nurmagomedov won’t let him dictate the pace.

“You’re crazy if you bet against him not being able to take Justin down,” Chandler said. “You’re crazy if you think Justin is going to be able to go in there and land combinations at will like he was Tony Ferguson. The reason I like the Tony Ferguson fight is, he’s a standing target. He’s a stationary target. He takes punches in order to give punches later on down the line.

“Khabib’s not that guy. Khabib is going to be in Justin’s face. We haven’t seen Justin back up a lot. I think Justin is going to be fighting on his heels a lot, which is never something we’ve seen him able to do. His leg kicks won’t be as effective on his heels. His power punches, his hooks, aren’t going to be as effective on his heels. And I think we’re still going to see, I won’t say dominant victory by Khabib, but I think we’re going to see a lot of the same Khabib-esque type of fight, just in a less dominant fashion.”

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