UFC lightweight star Michael Chandler believes he is the best fighter in the division. ‘Iron’, of course, is finally set to face Charles Oliveira in a rematch in less than a week, after having waited (in vain) for nearly two years to fight Conor McGregor. And the Missouri native looks pumped for his return to the octagon. Speaking to fans on the UFC 309 Countdown show, the former Bellator champ made a claim that is sure to raise many fans’ eyebrows. “There is not a man alive at 155lbs that can hang with me for 25 minutes if I fight composed and smart,” Chandler said. “That’s who I am now, and I’m excited to go out there and show that on November 16,” he added.

Many, of course, would disagree with this. After all, Chandler is 2-3 in the UFC and is coming off three losses in his last four outings. This includes a title clash loss to Charles Oliveira at their UFC 262 clash in 2021. But to be fair, Chandler knocked ‘Do Bronx’ down in the first round before getting submitted in the second, and the fight didn’t go the full five rounds.

Not to mention, Chandler himself put some qualifiers to his claim. He didn’t say he was the best fighter in the promotion outright. No, ‘Iron’ feels he is the best five–round fighter in the division if he remains smart and composed for the entire twenty-five minutes. This claim may hold some weight as the MMA community has ridiculed ‘Iron’ for his ruthless and rather unintelligent approach inside the Octagon. This is evident by his outings against Justin Gaethje and Oliveira where he “gave away” the bouts after starting off strongly.

But even that might be too far for some people, who might claim that reigning Islam Makhachev might be better even if all of Chandler’s provisions are met. Luckily, we may just get to find out if things go according to Chandler’s ‘roadmap’ for 2025.

Michael Chandler’s plan to become double champ next year

‘Iron’ has the perfect plan to go down as one of the greatest UFC lightweights in history. Speaking to journalist Kevin Iole in a recent interview, Chandler revealed that he plans on beating Oliveira on November 16, and go on probably the greatest run in the division’s history next year.

After beating the Brazilian, Chandler feels he will be the #1 title contender for the 155-pound title, and a title clash (against Makhachev) in mid-2025 would follow. In the meantime, Chandler believes he would have fought and defeated Conor McGregor in March. After clinching the title in June or July, he would finally scrap it out against Max Holloway with both the 155lbs and BMF titles up for grabs before the year is concluded.

This fabled timeline projects that by the time he is done, the Missouri native would have gone from being ridiculed over waiting so long for McGregor to holding two UFC championship belts. What do you think about Chandler’s claim about being ‘unbeatable’ at 155lbs and can he really execute his masterplan by the end of 2025? Tell us in the comment section below!