The UFC’s newest blockbuster signing has been announced as former three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler. Without a debut fight officially announced alongside his arrival, it leaves massive speculation surrounding how he will be welcomed into the 155lb division, arguably one of the most talent-rich weight classes in the entire sport.
For those who are not familiar with the former NCAA Division 1 All American collegiate wrestler, Chandler made his professional debut in 2009 and started his career with a twelve-fight win streak across Strikeforce and Bellator which included victories over fighters such as former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez, where he would win his first Bellator Lightweight Championship.
Chandler’s most recent fight took place on August 7th of this year, where he knocked out former UFC and WEC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson in just over two minutes.
Chandler’s pedigree as one of the best Lightweights in the world outside of the UFC is undeniable but there will always be questions surrounding highly touted fighters from other promotions jumping over to the UFC and how they will fare.
One of the most infamous and worrying for fans of ‘Iron’ Michael is the case of Will Brooks. Brooks jumped over to the UFC after vacating his Bellator Lightweight Championship and while he would win his debut against Ross Pearson by unanimous decision, he would be finished in his next three fights by Alex Oliveira, Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz and would be subsequently cut from the UFC.
Brooks was given the number eleven spot in the UFC Lightweight rankings upon his arrival and did not face any other fighters ranked in the top fifteen. The concerning fact about Will Brooks’ tenure with the UFC as it pertains to Michael Chandler is that Brooks had beaten Chandler twice before his ill-fated run with the promotion.
So, four years after Brooks’ disastrous attempt at vindicating Bellator fans’ claims that their fighters could hold their own with the UFC’s best, it is slightly concerning to hear that Chandler is being treated as the understudy for the upcoming UFC Lightweight Championship fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje should either fighter have to pull out.
While the potential scenario of Chandler stepping up on short notice to hand Khabib his first professional loss would send shockwaves through the entire sport, it may also be too much too soon for the former University of Missouri standout.
The same could be said for the speculation that Chandler’s first opponent may turn out to be Tony Ferguson. Ferguson is arguably the division’s bogeyman, a fighter which is a tough opponent for anyone and if Chandler were to lose, it would be difficult to visualise his next steps following that bout, especially considering the relative inactivity of the top five in the 155lb division.
While the prospect of Ferguson vs Chandler is a blockbuster fight that could easily main event a UFC pay-per-view, it may be smarter for Dana White and co. to introduce their newest acquisition to those who may not be aware of his pedigree before throwing him into a dogfight with one of the pound-for-pound best in the world.
A potential option to gauge where Michael Chandler will fit into the UFC’s Lightweight division could be a fight against number ten ranked Kevin Lee. Lee has already had some harsh words for the former Bellator champion, suggesting that the only reason that Chandler is already being lined up against such high-level opponents is so that Dana White can prove that the UFC is superior to Bellator. Lee has also questioned whether Chandler will be able to handle the magnitude of fighting in the UFC and claimed he is ‘way too small for this whole division’.
Lee would be a good debut fight for Michael Chandler as while ‘The Motown Phenom’ has had a rough run as of late, losing three of his five fights since coming up short for the Interim Lightweight Championship against Tony Ferguson and despite the fact that Lee is recovering from an ACL tear, he said in the same interview regarding Chandler that he hopes he gets the opportunity against Khabib or Gaethje, but loses so that he can face Chandler when he has recovered.
Kevin Lee is also a gifted self-promoter, being able to stay relevant and well-known in the division due to his charisma and trash-talk, meaning that a fight with Chandler would likely still draw considerable interest if the potential verbal barbs between the two fighters were to escalate.
However, in my opinion, the debut fight that would make the most sense for Michael Chandler and the UFC would be a fight with number six ranked Charles Oliveira. Oliveira’s last fight was a submission victory over Kevin Lee in March, and he has claimed many times that the top five fighters in the Lightweight rankings are afraid to fight him to avoid losing their place.
In terms of raising fan interest in the fight, the UFC could play on the fact that Oliveira was one of the fighters to defeat Will Brooks in his UFC tenure, with Oliveira potentially being able to turn back another Bellator import.
While Oliveira is an elite-level Lightweight, if Chandler were to win, it would be a victory that could launch him towards the aforementioned fights with the division’s upper echelon. Meanwhile for Oliveira, a victory over a name like Chandler could put him in the position where he cannot be ignored in the discussions for the next Lightweight title challenger.
The Inbound Observer 