Michael Chandler wants to fight Jorge Masvidal for the BMF belt. Chandler delivered another thrilling performance at UFC 281 with a back-and-forth war against Dustin Poirier, where “The Diamond” emerged victorious.
Despite losing three of his last five fights, ‘Iron’ has established himself as a UFC superstar with various options for his next opponent.
During an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, the Kill Cliff MMA fighter had this to say about what interests him other than fighting Conor McGregor:
“You tell me who the BMF is. You tell me who the fans if we did a poll right now, who’s the baddest mother fudger in the UFC? I got a couple awards on my mantle right now. I think I’ll add a couple more. Possibly knockout of the year. Possibly fight of the year of 2023, but that BMF belt sure would look good next em.”
Chandler then called out Jorge Masvidal by saying:
“Is it a fight that I’ve really thought about a ton in the past? Not really, but tell me that wouldn’t get the juices flowing of the entire mixed martial arts world. Michael Chandler vs. Jorge Masvidal for the BMF belt. The Rock walking in with it over his shoulder and then handing it to me 15 minutes later.“
Masvidal has lost three consecutive fights, two against Kamaru Usman and one against Colby Covington. But his star power has kept him in conversation for the biggest matchups in the UFC. Chandler vs. “Gamebred” would surely move the needle if the UFC decides to bring back the BMF belt.
Watch Michael Chandler discuss fighting Jorge Masvidal with Brett Okamoto, starting at 28:50 below:
Michael Chandler discusses Conor McGregor’s UFC return
Michael Chandler seems focused on fighting Conor McGregor in 2023. “The Notorious” doesn’t have an official return date, but “Iron” has continued to advocate for big-money matchups, including the Dublin native. During the same interview, Chandler had this to say about McGregor’s return:
“Conor’s got every opportunity on the entire planet at his disposal. Does he need to come back? Absolutely not. Does he want to come back? We don’t know. That’s up to Conor. If he does want to come back, who in the heck else do you want to be standing on the other side of the Octagon than me right now at this juncture? We’re the same size. We’re the same weight…”
Chandler could have a wild 2023 with the potential to fight McGregor and Jorge Masvidal. “Iron” has kept his promise of consistently putting on entertaining performances, and he can now reap the rewards at 36 years old.