Michael Chandler disclosed that he was initially slated to face a top lightweight contender on June 14. However, this matchup did not materialize, and Chandler is now scheduled to fight the No. 9 ranked 155-pound contender, Mauricio Ruffy, at UFC Freedom 250.
Chandler’s original preference was to fight Conor McGregor on June 14, but the UFC had different plans and was no longer interested in that pairing. McGregor is now set to return against Max Holloway at UFC 329, while Chandler will face Ruffy.
Chandler recently revealed in a conversation with Megan Olivi that he had agreed to a fight against a top-five opponent. Although Chandler did not name the fighter, he stated that this opponent would not be available to compete on June 14. Consequently, the UFC proposed a bout against Mauricio Ruffy, to which Chandler agreed.
Chandler stated, “At the very beginning, there was a different opponent that I accepted. But he wasnโt able to compete at that time. He is inside the top 5. He wasnโt able to make it. They [UFC] said what do you think about Ruffy, I said โOf course.โโ
Who Was Michael Chandler Potentially Fighting?
It is highly probable that Michael Chandler was referring to top lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan had previously mentioned that the UFC had considered matching him up with Chandler.
According to Tsarukyan, these plans were later abandoned when the promotion realized he presented a difficult stylistic challenge for Chandler. Considering Chandler’s current three-fight losing streak, another defeat could potentially push him towards retirement. Tsarukyan commented on the PBD Podcast, “They called me about Michael Chandler. They wanted to match me up with Chandler, but then they realized itโs a bad fight for him. He represents them, and itโs like a 99.9% chance I beat him. So they went with Ruffy instead.”
Aside from Tsarukyan, the other fighters ranked in the top five of the lightweight division are either already booked for upcoming fights or were highly unlikely to be matched against Michael Chandler next.
Tsarukyan is serving as the backup fighter for the UFC Freedom 250 main event, which might be why the promotion decided against having him fight Chandler on June 14.
