Outside Source
Per @arielhelwani,
UFC is the front-runner to sign free agent Michael
Chandler, who has “been discussed” as a potential opponent for
Tony
Ferguson. pic.twitter.com/LBved7TTL1— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
September 16, 2020
All signs lead to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship being the front-runner to sign
“Iron.”
ESPN reported Wednesday that the UFC is in “advanced talks”
with former Bellator
MMA lightweight king Michael
Chandler, although the deal is yet to be finalized. “Iron” is
one of the few top lightweight contenders who has yet to step into
the Octagon.
Chandler (21-5) has spent most of his career under the Bellator MMA
banner, where he managed to capture 155-pound championship three
times. The third championship arrived at the end of the
back-and-forth Bellator 212 battle that ended with the former
collegiate wrestler edging his long-time rival Brent
Primus. In his next match, Chandler lost his belt to Patricio
Freire via first-round TKO at Bellator 221. He then managed to
bounce back after scoring two first-round KO victories at the
expense of Sidney
Outlaw and Benson
Henderson. Following the Bellator 243 bout, he started
considering other options as a free agent.
According to the report, Chandler is also being considered as a
viable opponent for Tony
Ferguson at UFC 254. Even though the UFC never officially
announced the matchup, “El Cucuy” was planned to lock horns with
Dustin
Poirier. However, UFC president Dana White announced that
the negotiations for that matchup failed, and the promotion was
seeking another fight for Ferguson.
The Ferguson-Chandler matchup is surely piquing fan interest, but
the negotiations are still at an early stage.
UFC 254 takes place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on Oct. 24. Its
headliner is a lightweight title unification bout between
undefeated champ Khabib
Nurmagomedov and interim titleholder Justin
Gaethje.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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