UFC Freedom 250’s Michael Chandler may not retire by choice, says Chael Sonnen

Michael Chandler may be on his way to retirement soon if Chael Sonnen’s hunch proves to be correct.

Chandler is scheduled to compete on the UFC Freedom 250 card on June 14. He will be facing Mauricio Ruffy in a bout that many believe was made to enhance the Brazilian bruiser’s stock. Some believe that Chandler might hang up his gloves depending on the outcome of the fight.

If Chandler does indeed walk away from pro MMA competition, Sonnen isn’t so sure that it would be by his choice. He explained in a new video uploaded to his YouTube channel (via MMAJunkie).

“Yes, he likely will (retire), and I don’t know that it will be necessarily his choice,” Sonnen said. “Chandler is now [39] years old. Chandler is also gainfully employed by Paramount and is going to be part of the announcing team. Should he lose a fight, that would probably be a point in Chandler’s career. Chandler’s one of those guys that still wants to be a world champion. So if he gets confronted with, look, that’s just not in your future. At [39] years old and coming off this defeat, that is not in your future. I predict he likely would say, ‘Fair enough, give my spot to somebody else.'”

Chandler will turn 40 in April and has had his share of wars inside the cage. He has also gone 1-5 in his last six outings. “Iron” hasn’t scored a victory since 2022 when he connected with a highlight reel front kick that shut the lights off Tony Ferguson.

Do you think UFC Freedom 250 will be the final time Michael Chandler competes in pro MMA competition? Will he be satisfied with being a UFC analyst or will he look to keep fighting for other promotions and combat sports? Join in on the conversation in the comments below.