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Contender for the UFC lightweight division title Michael Chandler admitted that until recently he hoped for a fight with ex-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who recently officially announced his retirement.
“I think there was at least a small chance to fight with Khabib. When you come to this sport, you want to get the biggest fights, to perform on the biggest stages. You want the biggest sports challenges, and it’s no secret that Khabib is the most a big challenge, the most difficult puzzle for someone like me. I consider myself a very strong fighter, but he is still a real beast in terms of grappling, sambo, control from above. Khabib just blows people.
This is what I wanted to test myself against, what I wanted to face. I think that we all had a glimmer of hope that he would return, although it was clear that Khabib had left. Even I challenged him at a press conference after he announced his retirement, “Michael Chandler said in an interview with Brett Okamoto.