Michael Chandler gives blunt assessment of UFC's lightweight division

'"Iron" Michael Chandler reflected upon the current state of his UFC career before his fight with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314.

Zain Bando | Mar 21, 2025

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Similar to Paddy Pimblett, former UFC lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler recognizes the must-win nature of their UFC 314 co-headliner on April 12.

An eventual chance to fight former TUF 31 coach Conor McGregor or sit out and wait to see how the 155-pound division shakes out, both appear to be part of Chandler’s short-term growth despite McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) remaining inactive since July 2021.

Charles Oliveira fights Michael Chandler in the lightweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Chandler Discusses Future Plans

“I ain't scared,” Chandler said via Covers.com. “I would love it, man. I've been over to England, and I've always had a blast there, so I would love to. I would love to go out there. I would get absolutely booed out of the place, but it would be fun.”

If Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) were to beat Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC), several fights interest him, including a crack at Champion Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC)

Islam Makhachev leaves the Octagon after defeating Renato Moicano in a lightweight title fight during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“I am open to fighting Islam in June,” Chandler explained. “The way this fight plays out, I think I’ll have less than a 60-day suspension, maybe a 30-day suspension, and I could fight again in June because the fight would be June [28], I believe it is. So that's like 10 weeks later, so I could jump right back into a training camp and fight for the world title.”

If Chandler were to fight Makhachev eventually, his overarching goal is to become the best lightweight the sport has ever seen.

“All of those names are on the table; Topuria, Gaethje, Arman, freaking Islam,” Chandler said. “There's a world in which I go out there and emphatically starch Paddy Pimblett. And it's the ‘what have you done for me lately' business."

Conor McGregor Fight

Chandler is still keen to fight McGregor if McGregor returns to combat sports later this year, regardless of options.

“And all of a sudden Islam wants to fight me and not someone else, and I fight him in June. Who knows? But with that being said, all of those names are on the table. Conor's name was talked about. If Conor comes back this year I'm fighting him.”

Conor McGregor is carried off a stretcher following an injury suffered against Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Chandler’s crystal ball is alive and well, and now execution remains job No. 1.

Now, only time will tell.

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Published Mar 21, 2025

ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99