Last night news broke that the UFC Vegas 14 headliner was in jeopardy after Islam Makhachev had to pull out. Makhachev was scheduled to headline the event next Saturday opposite of former UFC lightweight champion, Rafael Dos Anjos.
The UFC is currently working on a replacement opponent to headline against RDA. However, the former champion came out last night and called out Michael Chandler on Twitter. That’s who RDA wanted in the main event.
A lot of fans seemed intrigued by the matchup. Fighting a former UFC champion would be a good way for Chandler to kickoff his career inside the octagon. However, Chandler has come out today and said that he will not be headlining next week’s card.
Fans were commenting on Chandler’s Instagram page about the potential fight. Chandler responded saying, “We have other plans.” So for now, it will appear that RDA is not going to get his wish of fighting Michael Chandler next Saturday.
What could those UFC plans be?
Since Chandler was signed by the UFC, the promotion has made him a very big deal. He was the backup for the UFC 254 main event, and they’ve tried to book him against Tony Ferguson. However, Ferguson didn’t seem interested in the fight.
Conor McGregor is supposed to fight Dustin Poirier in January. With that in mind, there are a few options for the UFC and Michael Chandler. Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker, and Tony Ferguson are all out there as potential opponents for the former Bellator lightweight champion.
There have also been rumors around Chandler potentially being one of the TUF coaches this year. Either way, I’m expecting the UFC to book Chandler against one of the best guys in the world for his debut. It will truly be a sink or swim test for the former Bellator champion.