In the aftermath of Islam Makhachev’s title victory at UFC 280, potentially one of the greatest champion vs. champion matchups in company history was agreed upon, but Michael Chandler is against the idea.
Going into his main event on October 22 to not only win championship gold but to also prove doubters wrong, the Russian put on an all-time display against one of the toughest fighters in the sport.
Charles Oliveira has been on fire inside the octagon in recent times but was outmatched by the Dagestani throughout the bout.
Despite shedding praise on both Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, UFC lightweight Michael Chandler shared his displeasure with the fight but believes there’s a chance he’ll still get a title shot with a win over Dustin Poirier.
“As far as the fight goes, Islam’s gonna be big compared to [Volkanovski}. Volkanovski, obviously, we’ve all seen the photos of him as a rugby player, weighing over two hundred pounds. He carried that punching power, that kicking power down to 145, so he’s got power. He’s gonna be a little bit smaller of a body type, obviously, the range is gonna be different… I’m not a huge fan of it, because it’s my division… Do I think I get a title shot if I beat Dustin Poirier? There’s a possibility.”
Chandler’s meeting with ‘The Diamond’ has all the tools to steal the show when they step into the octagon at UFC 281, and with the relationship between the two growing sourer each day, the anticipation for this matchup continues to soar.
Check out what the lightweight contender had to say about Makhachev’s potential first title defense in the video below:
Is Alexander Volkanovski the right next opponent for Islam Makhachev?
If all goes to plan, it looks like Islam Makhachev will put his 155lb throne up for grabs against the featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski sometime next year.
While he has a handful of competitors all waiting to be given a chance at his strap, the 31-year-old may have found the perfect athlete to begin his run as champ in the division.
Although Volkanovski will pose a number of threats that Makhachev hasn’t faced inside the cage, if the two are matched up, the European could snatch away the Australian’s #1 P4P ranking. Being recognized as the greatest fighter in the sport just one fight into his title reign would boost him to even greater heights.
