UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler is backing two of his former opponents as the leading candidates for the next title shot at 155 pounds.
The championship picture is somewhat unclear in the lightweight division after what unfolded at UFC 311. While Arman Tsarukyan entered the year at the front of the queue, a last-minute withdrawal cost him the opportunity. With that, it appears that the Russian-Armenian will need to once again defeat a fellow contender to re-earn the shot.
Meanwhile, a few of his targets — namely Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje — have attempted to stake their claim for a shot at Islam Makhachev this summer.
And that’s without even mentioning the arrival of Ilia Topuria, who is hoping for an immediate chance at achieving two-division glory after leaving behind his reign as featherweight kingpin.
During a recent Q&A session on X, Michael Chandler was asked to give his take on the situation.
The former Bellator champ omitted both Tsarukyan and Topuria from his answer when choosing the ‘most deserving’ of the next title shot, instead naming two stars who share three wins over “Iron” inside the Octagon.
“So hard to say… gaethje or oliveira,” Michael Chandler wrote.
After mounting a comeback to stop Chandler in their 2022 title fight, Oliveira once again got the better of the American in their rematch inside Madison Square Garden last November. In-between those results, Chandler fell short in a memorable Fight of the Year war with Gaethje.
Despite being 2-4 in the UFC and coming off a second setback to “Do Bronx,” Chandler is also hoping to insert his name into the title debate soon enough.
With a knockout victory over Paddy Pimblett next month at UFC 314, Chandler is looking to make himself available for a quick turnaround for a clash with Makhachev at International Fight Week in June.
