Michael Chandler is in the twilight of his career and he surely wants to go out with a bang. The #7 UFC lightweight star, of course, put his career on hold for nearly two years waiting to fight Conor McGregor. However, with the clock ticking on the 38-year-old’s fighting days, fans are afraid his career will fizzle out over the next few years. Not ‘Iron’, however, who has a clear roadmap for becoming an all-time great.
Speaking to MMA journalist Kevin Iole, the former Bellator champ revealed that after rematching (and defeating) Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 this weekend, he sees himself as the next in line for a title shot. “Let me give you my road real quick, all right? I’ve already got it mapped out Charles Oliveira, November 16th, I beat him, I become the number one contender. I’m sitting cage-side watching Islam and Arman the first month or so of 2025, right,” Chandler said.
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155 lbs king Islam Makhachev, of course, is set to face official #1 contender Arman Tsarukyan, probably sometime early next year which the champ will win, according to Chandler. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan will start in late February and end in March, during which the Dagestani will be fasting everyday and thus not be able to train.
In the meantime, Chandler believes he would have fought and beaten Conor McGregor, and in a position to fight Makhachev for the lightweight title. “If Conor is able to come back, I can fight Conor and March, then I can fight Islam in June, in July, beat him. Same night, Max Holloway who has moved up to lightweight fights a top five, becomes top five guy, becomes the number one contender,” he added.
But that’s not all. To really put a bow on on his legacy, the American wants to add feather in his cap- clicnh a second UFC belt but not a division gold. “Chandler versus Max Holloway at the end of 2025. I put my UFC lightweight belt on the line, he puts his BMF belt on the line. We’re talking year and a half off, ‘Oh my God Chandler’s inactive’ to ‘Holy cow, the craziest run anybody’s ever seen in UFC history, and he’s the oldest lightweight UFC champion,” Chandler said.
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Can Michael Chandler's ambitious plan make him the oldest lightweight champion, or is it just a dream?
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While it makes perfect sense on part of ‘Iron’, here is one part of that plan which is entirely out of his hands and looks increasingly uncertain.
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What is exactly going on with Conor McGregor’s comeback?
Conor McGregor hasn’t graced the Octagon for the past three years. By late last year, the Irishman looked desperate for a fight and almost had a breakdown when he couldn’t fight by the end of 2024 as he had wanted. Thankfully he got his date and was set to take on Chandler in a welterweight clash this June.
But, a broken toe forced him to pull out, which was followed by another phase of ‘Mac’ asking for the fight to be quickly rescheduled. But even that is out of the question now as Dana White has only said that McGregor will fight ‘sometime’ next year. For his part, the bombastic Dubliner has still been enthusiastic for his comeback fight, and recently suggested a February 2025 clash against Dan Hooker.
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Except for these shots in the dark from McGregor, however, things seem to be going nowhere which has left fans worried. The UFC doesn’t really seem very interested in return of its biggest ever superstar. And McGregor, too, hasn’t been as vocal as he once was about demanding a quick fight from the promotion. Some fear this means ‘Mac’ may never return, as he just doesn’t have the will to do so anymore.
Moreover, White has expressed on several occasions that it takes a special variant of motivation to return to the brutality of cage fighting once anyone has amassed the kind of wealth the Irishman has. What do you think about Michael Chandler’s roadmap for 2025?
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Can Michael Chandler's ambitious plan make him the oldest lightweight champion, or is it just a dream?