One of the more highly anticipated lightweight matchups in the UFC has officially been booked. SI Now was the first to report earlier this evening that the matchup between Michael Chandler (22-7) and Tony Ferguson (25-6) has been booked.
The fight will go down at UFC 274 on May 7th. Headlining the May PPV is the lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje so it’s safe to say that May 7th will be a fun night if you’re a fan of the lightweights.
For Michael Chandler, he will be making his fourth appearance for the UFC. Chandler got things started with a bang when he made his debut back in January of 2021. He knocked out Dan Hooker in the first round which made a massive statement.
He was then given a shot against Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title. After completely dominating the first round, Chandler was stopped in the second round by the lightweight champion.
He followed that fight up with a Fight of the Year against Justin Gaethje at UFC 268. Chandler once again fell short, but the fight was sensational. He’s looking to get back to his winning ways inside the octagon.
UFC do or die for Ferguson?
For years, El Cucuy was the boogey man of the UFC’s lightweight division. Tony Ferguson went on an incredible run that led him to the interim UFC lightweight championship. However, undisputed gold always evaded him.
In 2020, Ferguson fought Justin Gaethje for the interim title and fell short. He then fought Charles Oliveira and once again fell short. After taking a little time off, Ferguson fought Beneil Dariush at UFC 262. Again, Ferguson fell short.
Tony Ferguson has now lost three in a row and none of the fights were extremely competitive. This is a huge fight for Ferguson because if he loses, it’s hard to say where he goes from here. This one should be a banger and fans should be excited.