Michael Chandler Says “There’s No Chance” He Will Fight Tony Ferguson In 2020

Michael Chandler has been itching to get his first fight in the UFC. Since joining the premier MMA promotion in the world, the former Bellator Champion has had to sit on the sideline as a backup for the main event at UFC 254 in his first assignment as a UFC fighter. 

Chandler is a world-class fighter at 155 pounds. He has won and defended the belt multiple times at his previous organization. However, he is yet to display his skill set to the UFC audience and awaits a dance partner for his first fight. Tony Ferguson is most likely going to be his first fight according to recent reports. 

Michael Chandler clears the air about fighting Tony Ferguson in December

In a recent interview with ESPN, ‘Iron’ clarified his stance about fighting Tony in December, which is what ‘El Cucuy’ is aiming for. He said, “There is a 0% chance I’ll fight Tony Ferguson in December. And I 100% know he knew that, because the UFC already told him that, and I’ve already said I’ll see him in January. Now that we have Conor [McGregor] fighting Dustin [Poirier] — it looks like that fight will get booked on Jan. 23 — they need a co-main event. Why wouldn’t it be Chandler vs. Ferguson?”

The newcomer continued, “The UFC didn’t offer me the fight in December, because they know I’m on a timeline now. I just made weight in October. Everybody knows I’m an active fighter and I’m constantly training, but I needed just four weeks off. Essentially, Tony is campaigning for us to fight in 3.5 weeks”

Ferguson vs Chandler as the co-main event at UFC 257?

Chandler had made it clear that he would like to fight either Justin Gaethje or Tony Ferguson. Given that ‘El Cucuy’ lost his recent fight to Justin Gaethje and is yet to be booked, a fight between the two makes sense. 

Along the lines of fighting Ferguson, ‘Iron’ added, “Tony, you had the opportunity to fight me in October and you said no. You didn’t even bring up fighting in December until it was way past the 11th hour. Let’s be realistic and sign up for Jan. 23. If you think you still have what it takes to fight for a title, fight me on Jan. 23. Why not take that opportunity, instead of muddying the water with this silly stuff?

The UFC set Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier as the main event at UFC 257. A fight between Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson as the co-main event would make it an even more exciting card, not only for the lightweight division but in general. 

What do you think of the idea of having Michael Chandler vs Tony Ferguson as the co-main event for Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier? Let us know in the comments below.