Michael Chandler is confident he will land a spot at the UFC’s White House event and isn’t too concerned about who his opponent might be.
Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC) has been itching for a return to action in hopes of landing a big fight. He’s currently on a three-fight skid, but those losses came against the upper echelon of UFC lightweights in Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira and Paddy Pimblett.
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At UFC 326, Max Holloway takes on Oliveira for the BMF title. Chandler hopes “Blessed” is able to get the job done so he could potentially land another big name that he has yet to face.
“I got my eye on that one, because I think Max gets the win,” Chandler told MMA Junkie in an interview on behalf of Phorm Energy. “I think Oliveira is coming off a pretty devastating knockout and turned around real quick, jumped into another training camp. I got my eyes set on that BMF belt if Max wins, so we’ll see.”
Considering Chandler’s entertainment value despite a rough string of results, he could get matched up with anyone in the top 15. One person who recently called him out was Dan Hooker, who Chandler beat by TKO in his debut five years ago. Hooker is coming off a TKO loss to Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 325, but it’s a rematch that could come together.
“I saw him do that after another fight,” Chandler said. “It’s almost like he makes these funny callouts, like maybe he’s serious, maybe he’s not, and he kind of makes fun of himself talking about being on the prelims and stuff. So, he’s a character, man. If you don’t like Dan Hooker, I don’t know if you like MMA.”
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Another option that Chandler isn’t giving up on is Conor McGregor, who he was supposed to face in the octagon after coaching opposing teams on “The Ultimate Fighter.” Chandler has gone above and beyond to try to make the fight happen, but the issues appear to be on the other side.
“Never has anything to do with me,” Chandler said. “I’m the most reliable, the most professional man in mixed martial arts. Maybe in the history of mixed martial arts. So, when I sign my name to a dotted line, I show up and do the work every single day. With that being said, there’s still some hope there that maybe that fight happens. We shall see, but we’re having some conversations. Either way, I will be on the White House lawn June 14.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Chandler: ‘I will be on the White House lawn June 14’
