Photo by Masashi Hara/Getty Images
It appears that one of the biggest MMA free agents available could be UFC-bound.
It’s not very often that a former Bellator champ ends up on the open market. While the UFC hasn’t had the best luck picking up some of them (Hector Lombard, Will Brooks), others (like Eddie Alvarez) had won championships in the Octagon as well.
Will Michael Chandler be the next to make a UFC title run? Well it appears that UFC president Dana White seems to be willing to let him try. At the post-fight press conference following last weekend’s UFC event, Dana was asked about the three-time former Bellator lightweight titleholder – and he seems interested:
“We’ve talked to Chandler, yeah. Yeah, I like him, I like the kid so, we’ll see.”
Chandler (21-5, 18-5 Bellator) competed there for almost a decade, but he couldn’t come to a new deal with CEO Scott Coker over the course of the last few months. He picked up one of the biggest wins of his career last time out, stopping former UFC and WEC champ Ben Henderson via second-round KO last month
Now, his phone is blowing up and he could step right into the mix in the UFC. It’s not his only option – I’m sure ONE would pay him handsomely to fight Alvarez for a third time in Asia – but he will undoubtedly get the most exposure in the Octagon. And the 34-year-old might find himself there sooner than later.