Despite being a past rival to Michael Chandler, Patricio Pitbull still believes that the new lightweight has what it takes to becomes UFC champion. However, although Pitbull thinks Chandler would beat Dustin Poirier, he still doesn’t believe that either competitor is the best lightweight on the planet.
Emerging Superstar
Michael Chandler is enjoying his newfound superstardom after his impressive UFC debut. At UFC 257, Chandler made his mark on the lightweight division by taking out a ranked opponent in Dan Hooker. And, it only took him 2 minutes and 30 seconds to do so.
Nonetheless, in success or failure, Patricio Pitbull is making it known that he will continue to be a thorn in Chandler’s side. Pitbull and Chandler have only fought once in their careers. However, Patricio was the last man to defeat “Iron” Mike, taking his Bellator lightweight championship in the process.
Pitbull on Chandler Becoming UFC Champion
Recently, Pitbull spoke with MMA Fighting. During the conversation, he revealed his faith in Chandler’s ability to become UFC lightweight champion, despite not being the best 155lb fighter on the planet. Furthermore, indicating that currently, he’s the best lightweight in the world.
“If Dustin Poirier is his next opponent, I think he wins just as easily and the exact same way,” he said. “It will be as vicious as his debut,” said Pitbull.
“I won’t root for him, but I’m realistic and I know the damage he can do in this weight class,” Freire said. “He has powerful hands and great wrestling. He’s very aggressive. It’s hard to take him down, and he has good takedowns. He can fight anyone on the feet and has knocked out great strikers already. It will be hard to stop him.
“If he can do all that and I stopped him, how good am I? Let’s put that to test. After he becomes UFC champion, let’s put promotion against promotion to see who’s the best in the world. He was kicked out of Bellator by me. He didn’t stay there because I kicked him out.”
Cross-Promotion
Do fans of the sport want to see a cross-promotion lightweight showdown with Pitbull and Chandler in a rematch? Of course, Chandler would have to secure a fight and defeat Dustin Poirier/ the lightweight titleholder at the time.
