Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Dana White is very excited about adding Michael Chandler to the UFC roster.
UFC president Dana White can’t wait to see what Michael Chandler can do in the Octagon now that the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion is finally ‘part of the UFC family’.
White, who signed Chandler on Thursday, is ‘very excited’ about Chandler’s future in the UFC and confirmed that the 34-year-old is on standby for the UFC 254 main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje.
“Very excited about him. Very excited. And now that I’ve got to know him a little bit, he’s a great guy. So I’m happy for him and I’m happy that he’s part of the (UFC) family,” White told TMZ Sports in a recent interview.
“He will be there for that fight. He will be training, he will be cutting weight, and he will weigh in just in case anything happens to Khabib or Justin. We’re excited about that. Great kid and he is now part of the UFC family,” he added.
The UFC is thought to have offered Chandler a co-headlining slot opposite Dustin Poirier at UFC 254 but, according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, ‘The Diamond’ turned the fight down.
Chandler (21-5 MMA) is humbled by the opportunity to fight in the UFC.