- Daniel Cormier argued Michael Chandler no longer wants to compete for the title
- Cormier suggested Chandler has a better chance of fighting Conor McGregor after the loss to Dustin Poirier
Michael Chandler is coming off a hard-fought loss to former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier earlier this month at UFC 281. Chandler appeared to get the better of Poirier early in the bout but eventually fell to a rear-naked choke in the third round. Following his loss to Poirier, Chandler wasted no time in calling out former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor.
Daniel Cormier says Michael Chandler no longer wants to fight for the title
In a recent video posted on YouTube, UFC champion-turned-analyst Daniel Cormier shared his thoughts on Chandler’s plans ahead. He suggested that Chandler’s callouts of McGregor and Jorge Masvidal are a sign his focus is not on the gold.
“He wants the big fish from the pond. First calling out Conor McGregor and if not McGregor, he wants to fight Jorge Masvidal for the BMF title. Both of these fights are great fights but I got to be honest, this one tells me a bit of something else. It tells me a little bit of a different story. Dana White called Michael Chandler the Arturo Gatti of the UFC. If you remember Gatti; Italian tough guy, fun, exciting, world champion. But he never quite beat the elite of the elite. The comparison is a bit fair in that regard.”
“Chandler, while he was a Bellator champion, he didn’t beat Gaethje, Charles, and Dustin even though the fights were fun. Ultimately, he lost. Back to the statement, this tells me that Mike’s focus has shifted a bit. It feels like now the title isn’t at the forefront for Michael Chandler because the guys that he’s calling aren’t in championship contention.
“You all know that Jorge Masvidal’s championship days are a bit behind him. Conor McGregor also is not in the title contention.”
Cormier thinks Chandler improved his chances to fight McGregor
‘DC’ argued that Chandler’s performance may attract ‘The Notorious’ for a matchup despite the loss. According to Cormier, the stylistic matchups would favor McGregor.
“After Chandler beat Tony Ferguson, it seemed like he was very close to the McGregor fight. But honestly, I think that the Dustin Poirier fight lends itself more o why I believe Michael Chandler has a chance to win the Conor McGregor sweepstakes… Mike can wrestle but he is more willing to stand with him, which would make for a really fun fight. It would be a matchup that seems to benefit McGregor a little bit. Because he’s not trying to grind him out like Khabib would do.”
Michael Chandler has been rallying to welcome back McGregor inside the cage. The Irish icon has expressed interest in the pairing but is expected to stay on the sidelines until the second quarter of 2023.
