Michael Chandler News

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Michael Chandler had a hard time getting someone to fight him in his UFC debut. In the co-main event of UFC 257, Chandler will finally make the walk to the Octagon for the first time against Dan Hooker. It is a top-10 opponent for the former Bellator lightweight champion, but not a top-five guy he wanted.

Adam Martin - January 13, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira turned down a short-notice fight against Michael Chandler, confirmed UFC president Dana White. Oliveira is one of the hottest fights on the planet right now, having won eight straight fights including a dominant performance against Tony Ferguson at UFC 255. Oliveira dominated the former interim champ, prompting White to call him one of the top-three lightweight fighters in the world. Oliveira himself believes that he should be next in line for a title shot and said he hopes to be in attendance at UFC 257 next week, ready to challenge the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier.

Drake Riggs - January 12, 2021

Michael Chandler has his UFC debut set. At UFC 257, the former three-time Bellator champion will be helping provide some clarity in the grand scheme of things at 155-pounds. In doing so, he’ll go to war with Dan “The Hangman” Hooker.

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2021

Dustin Poirier has made a prediction for the upcoming lightweight fight between top-10 contender Dan Hooker and former Bellator champ Michael Chandler. Hooker and Chandler will collide in the co-main event of UFC 257 on January 23—a card that will be headlined by a rematch between Poirier and Conor McGregor.

Tom Taylor - January 5, 2021

Michael Chandler believes he might be able to “entice” Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement if he employs the right strategy in his UFC debut. Chandler, the former Bellator lightweight champion, is slated to make his first steps into the Octagon at UFC 257, when he’ll take on New Zealand’s Dan Hooker.

Cole Shelton - January 4, 2021

Michael Chandler wanted to have his UFC debut against Tony Ferguson, but that did not come to fruition. After Chandler signed with the UFC, it was reported he would be on the UFC 254 card against Ferguson. However, negotiations stalled, and the former Bellator lightweight champion ended up being the backup fighter for the Gaethje vs. Khabib title fight. Now, as Chandler is set to face Dan Hooker at UFC 257, Chandler explained why the Ferguson fight didn’t happen.

Cole Shelton - January 4, 2021

Michael Chandler is confident in his skill set as he believes he is a nightmare matchup for Conor McGregor. In the co-main event of UFC 257, Michael Chandler will finally make his Octagon debut against Dan Hooker in an intriguing matchup. If the former Bellator lightweight champion wins, he will likely be in line for a big fight against someone like Justin Gaethje, or the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2. If it happens to be the latter, and McGregor wins, Chandler believes he would get his hand raised.

Adam Martin - January 3, 2021

A highly-intriguing lightweight bout between Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker is now official for UFC 257 later this month. Chandler vs. Hooker is set to take place on the UFC 257 undercard, behind the main event between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. This bout between Chandler and Hooker was verbally agreed to previously and is now official, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who notes several last-minute hurdles were cleared. UFC 257 takes place on January 23 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

Tom Taylor - November 30, 2020

Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, one of the newer additions to the UFC roster, has announced that he’s starting fight camp. Chandler signed with the UFC in the fall, and was was immediately slated as the understudy for the UFC 254-headlining lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. In the end, both Nurmagomedov and Gaethje made it to the Octagon that night, which meant Chandler’s services weren’t needed, and his UFC debut was put on ice.

Tom Taylor - November 30, 2020

UFC President Dana White says there is “no hurry” to schedule the UFC debut of former Bellator lightweight champion “Iron” Michael Chandler. Chandler signed with the UFC in the fall, and was was immediately pegged as the understudy for the UFC 254-headlining lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. In the end, both Nurmagomedov and Gaethje made it to the Octagon that night, which meant Chandler’s services weren’t needed, and his UFC debut was put on ice.

Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020

Dustin Poirier believes Michael Chandler should get a tough test in his UFC debut—somebody like recent lightweight title challenger Justin Gaethje. Chandler, the former Bellator lightweight champion, signed with the UFC earlier this year, but has yet to take his first steps into the Octagon. That being said, it sounds like he will do so in the very near future.

Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020

Michael Chandler reveals the UFC did not offer him the most amount of money during his free agency. Following Chandler’s first-round KO over Benson Henderson, the former Bellator lightweight champion headed to free agency which is something he wanted to do. When he became a free agent, “Iron” admits he wanted to sign with the UFC but it needed to make financial sense.

Harry Kettle - November 18, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson has revealed that he’s been told Michael Chandler has accepted another fight. The animosity between these two elite fighters has been steadily growing as the weeks and months have gone on with Ferguson campaigning to fight Chandler before the end of the year. The former Bellator star, however, wants to wait it out and serve as the co-main event on the proposed Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier card in January.

Cole Shelton - November 17, 2020

Michael Chandler is looking to fight Tony Ferguson in 2021. Chandler and Ferguson were first linked to a fight back at UFC 254. However, the former Bellator champ accused “El Cucuy” of turning him down. Ferguson then called for the fight to take place at UFC 256 which Chandler says will not happen. Instead, he believes it should happen as the co-main event to Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

Harry Kettle - November 17, 2020

According to a recent report, it’s looking unlikely that Tony Ferguson will be joining the UFC 256 card next month. Ferguson, who hasn’t fought since his devastating loss to Justin Gaethje earlier this year, wants to put himself back in position for a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship. In order to do that, however, he needs to remain active – and the fact that he’s been calling for a fight against Michael Chandler before the end of 2020 seems to indicate he’s ready to go.

Chris Taylor - November 14, 2020

Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is hoping to make 2020 “a little better again” by headlining December’s UFC 256 event. ‘El Cucuy’ took to Twitter last night where he challenged former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler to a showdown this December.

Tom Taylor - November 12, 2020

Two-division Bellator champ Patricio Freire has shared his thoughts on how Michael Chandler will perform in the UFC’s Octagon. Freire currently holds the Bellator featherweight and lightweight titles, and is slated to defend the former against Pedro Carvalho in the main event of Bellator 252 on Thursday night.

Tom Taylor - November 10, 2020

Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler is setting his sights on a blockbuster fight with MMA superstar Conor McGregor. Chandler signed with the UFC earlier this year, but has yet to make his debut with the promotion.