American mixed martial arts fighter Michael Chandler believes that after he wins the title, he should face the winner of the fight between his compatriot Dustin Poirier and Irishman Conor McGregor.
Michael Chandler (22-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is scheduled to fight Charles Oliveira (30-8 MMA, 18-8 UFC) for the vacant 155-pound title in the main event on May 15 at the Toyota Center in Houston. In less than two months, Poirier and McGregor will face off in a third bout at the UFC 264 headlining event on July 10.
If Chandler manages to win, he said he won’t be steadfast about his first title defense. However, given the terrain, it’s hard to deny that Poirier (27-6 MA, 19-5 UFC) or McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) would be the guy to follow in the footsteps of a championship title.
“When I win the title on May 15, I’m not going to be the guy calling shots,” Chandler told MMA Junkie. “I’m going to be the champion and I hold the belt, but I’m not going to be the guy calling shots. You just look at the rankings and you look at the body of work of Dustin Poirier, he’s the obvious No. 1 guy right now. He chose to take the money fight and pass up on the opportunity to fight for the title, so if he does beat Conor, he’s the obvious No. 1 choice. But if Conor beats the No. 1 guy, plus how big of a name he is, plus the star power of himself, plus when Conor’s on and Conor’s chasing the title, there’s not a spectacle more exciting in sports.
“So, he goes out there and runs through Dustin, or even beats Dustin in a dominant fashion, I think that makes him the No. 1 contender. I’ll be holding the belt, and I’ll be there (cageside) in Vegas, excited to see who I’m going to fight probably later on this year or the first of next year.”