Islam Makhachev Wants ‘Interesting’ Michael Chandler Fight Next, Tony Ferguson Another Option

Islam Makhachev wants a highly-ranked opponent next.

Makhachev made it eight wins in a row after a dominant performance over Thiago Moises as he eventually got the fourth-round submission victory in the UFC Vegas 31 headliner.

In the post-fight interview, the Dagestan native called for a fight with Rafael dos Anjos. However, he would have other names in mind as well.

Who would be his ideal fight? Well, Makhachev clearly can’t make up his mind as Tony Ferguson was one answer.

Islam Makhachev says that if he had his choice of his next opponent that it would be Tony Ferguson.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) July 18, 2021

In another interview, Michael Chandler was his top pick.

Islam Makhachev (@MAKHACHEVMMA) tells me he his ideal next fight would be Michael Chandler. Interested in Rafael dos Anjos and Tony Ferguson, as well. He also says he thinks Dustin Poirier will be the champion, when he gets his shot at a UFC title.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 18, 2021

However, it does seem to be edging towards the No. 4-ranked Chandler as Makhachev — who believes it’s an interesting fight — even got to tell it to the former title challenger directly who was an analyst in the studio.

“Chandler, if you hear me, let’s go, let’s do this. You come from Bellator, I want to check your skills,” Makhachev told him.

Chandler was all praise for his performance and responded by saying “we’ll see what happens.”

You can watch it below:

"Chandler, if you hear me, let's go, let's do this. You come from Bellator, I want to check your skills."@MAKHACHEVMMA calls out @MikeChandlerMMA, who's watching from the #UFCVegas31 post-show set pic.twitter.com/pAhZ7UOyTI

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 18, 2021

Who should be next for Makhachev?