Whilst Michael Chandler is still hopeful that he could be the one to welcome Conor McGregor back to the UFC, it sounds as if he’s moving on from that ‘Notorious’ payday.
Just a few months after dropping a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, the popular American lightweight is beginning to plot his next move.
So, who does ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler want to fight in his next UFC bout, and when is he planning on making his return to the octagon?
Michael Chandler on potential lightweight fight versus Paddy Pimblett
Speaking with Sean O’Malley’s head coach Tim Welch, Michael Chandler would reveal that there are two names on his shortlist: Armenian wrestler Arman Tsarukyan, and British superstar Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett.
“I definitely think that it’s possible at this point,” said Chandler on the possibility of throwing down with ‘The Baddy’ – teasing that he not only likes the matchup from a promotional standpoint, but stylistically too.
“Paddy is definitely a possibility – it’s a big fight, it’s a fun fight, and it’s a fight that I like stylistically. Not to take anything away from him but when you’ve fought Poirier, you’ve fought Gaethje, you’ve fought Oliveira, you’ve fought Dan Hooker – fighting Paddy Pimblett sounds like a fun day at the office compared to some of those [other names].”
“And I like him, I do. Paddy’s got a great brand, I like the way he carries himself. He gets a little fat in the off-season – that’s about the only thing I would change about him – but I think it would be fun, and I’d love to lock horns with him.”
Pimblett has recently teased a fight with Chandler too; sharing on his YouTube channel back in December that he’s “coming for that belt so I’m looking for higher-ranked fighters.
“I’ve said yeah, the opponent said yeah, just need to get stuff signed. So you’s know the score everyone,” he stated, adding “And I’ll see you at the top” – that being Chandler’s famous catchphrase.
But when could we see ‘Iron’ back in the octagon?
Michael Chandler offers return timeline amid rehabilitation from injury
Later in the interview with Welch, Chandler revealed that he’d suffered several injuries during his loss to Charles Oliveira and that he should be ready to return sometime around June 2025.
“Coming back, I was a little beat up after my last fight, I don’t like to talk about ‘in the fight’ because it sounds like I’m making excuses, but I did something to my knee in the first round and after that, I just couldn’t get my footing.
“I ended up falling [over] like four times in that fight, dislocated my thumb because I fell [funny] and it was just a weird, weird fight – so I’ve got a couple little injuries going on that I’m rehabbing through.”
That rehabilitation process should come to an end within the next few months and after that, Chandler will be ready to fight (hopefully either Tsarukyan or Pimblett) in the “middle of the year.
“International Fight Week sounds fun, and whoever they throw at me, 15 minutes or 25 minutes, Arman or Paddy [I’ll be ready].”
As of January 2025, Chandler is ranked at #7 in the lightweight division, Pimblett is sitting at #12, whilst Tsarukyan retains the #1 spot after his withdrawal from UFC 311.