Michael Chandler seems to have had enough of waiting for Conor McGregor. He has now shifted his focus to Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protégé and the UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev. The 5th-ranked lightweight claims that he could easily beat the Dagestan native if they ever fought each other inside the Octagon.

‘Iron’ has been waiting for his big-money fight against Conor McGregor to take place, but he still believes it is uncertain. Hence, he is now looking to grab another big fight against Islam Makhachev. He even made a bold claim about the outcome of the fight. Let’s see what he had to say.

Michael Chandler claims to be the ideal opponent for Islam Makhachev

‘Iron’ recently posted a couple of tweets sounding off on the former UFC double champion for taking too much time to make his comeback. Meanwhile, in one of those posts, a fan mentioned that he’d love to see Michael Chandler fight Islam Makhachev. He believes both lightweights could complement each other’s style. This led to Chandler predicting the outcome of the fight.

“I’m the perfect guy to dethrone him,” claimed Michael Chandler. He believes that he can give Islam Makhachev a run for his money, go toe-to-toe against him in wrestling, and possibly beat him for the title. Although ‘Iron’ sounds confident, Khabib Nurmagomedov once mentioned that he was not a championship-level fighter. Let’s take a look at what ‘The Eagle said about Chandler.

Khabib Nurmagomedov once dismissed ‘Iron’ as a high-level fighter

Days before Khabib Nurmagomedov’s last fight against Justin Gaethje, ‘The Eagle’ harshly criticized Michael Chandler’s status in the lightweight division. Nurmagomedov claimed that he may not make use of his wrestling skills to fight ‘Iron’, claiming that he can easily beat him with his striking, and urging him to fight somebody lower on the food chain. The 29-0 legend said, “I think I don’t need [to] like, use my wrestling versus Michael Chandler… Go home and fight someone, other fighters.”

‘The Eagle’ even revealed that Michael Chandler was not a top fighter, in his opinion. He pointed out the ‘Iron’s losses in Bellator and his lackluster performances in other promotions. “He is not a high-level championship fighter in UFC because two fights ago, he lose in other organizations, he lose in Bellator for featherweight, knocked him out.”

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It looks like the critical words from Khabib Nurmagomedov could prove to be fuel for Michael Chandler to aim for the lightweight strap. However, he is still in contention for the fight against Conor McGregor since Dana White is yet to comment on the status of that fight. We will have to wait and see how things take shape in the weeks and months to come.

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