Former UFC champion predicts UFC to cut Michael Chandler

As reported by MMA Knockout on SI.com, former UFC champion Eddie Alverez predicts that the UFC will cut Michael Chandler.

Alvarez also admits that he wants to open a trilogy in the BKFC (Bare Knuckles Fight Club). He would like to settle it once and for all.

Nearly 15 years ago, Alvarez fought Chandler. He lost his first bout with Bellator before getting his revenge in 2013.

The series between the two fighters is tied 1-1. The two never got the chance to finish out the series as Alvarez went on to sign with the UFC and later became a champion in 2016. Chandler stuck with Bellator and became a three-time champion as well.

A decade has passed, and Chandler has now made his way to the UFC. Eddie Alvarez has taken off his gloves, but he is involved with BKFC. BKFC Homecoming will take place in Philadelphia. He will step in the ring against ex-UFC fighter Jeremey Stephens on January 25.

Unlike Alvarez, Chandler never won a UFC title. Chandler went 2-4 against top fighters in the lightweight division.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, when asked about Chandler, Alvarez said, “I think he has all the tools to win the UFC title. It’s a matter of whether he uses the tools he has, and I don’t think he has properly. I don’t know why. It’s very frustrating for me to watch because I know what he’s capable of, and what kind of grit and champion spirit he has.”

Michael Chandler has only lost to top-notch talent in his run that began in 2021. Chandler even held out for a fight against Conor McGregor for two years, but that match never happened. During those two years, he suffered repeated losses at the hands of former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 that took place in November.

When it comes to the notion that Chandler may get cut by the UFC, Alverez says, “Let him fight again and if he’s on the same trajectory and he loses again, he can maybe get cut,” Alvarez said of Chandler. “[If] they don’t want him, and then just come over to bare knuckle [boxing] and let’s do it with no gloves. I think that’s the kind of violence this world needs right now. It’s too safe.”

It might be a hard thing to imagine the UFC cutting a staple like Chandler.

If you ask fans, they will tell you that they think that the two fighters’ best fights against each other occurred in 2011 and 2013.

Most MMA fans would love to see the trilogy come to a climactic close.

It will be interesting if the UFC cuts Chandler and he finds a home with BKFC to close out his boxing career.