What’s Next For Michael Chandler?

Michael Chandler has spoken out after his third-round TKO loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314, raising question marks over his next steps. 

The defeat was Chandler’s third straight loss, dropping his UFC record to 2-5. Pimblett pushed the pace, taking Chandler down and landing heavy ground-and-pound strikes, which led to the referee stopping the fight. Chandler’s last victory was back in 2022 at UFC 274, when he knocked out Tony Ferguson. Heading into UFC 314, Chandler confirmed he had a knee injury but refused to blame it for the result. Chandler has said he will take some time off before his next fight, which he wants later this year.

“I’m definitely going to take a little bit of time off – I’m going to take the summer off. I’ve already spoken to the UFC that, ‘Hey, don’t call me for any summer shows.’ I will show up, I will be a fan, I will do some appearances, I will be a part of the UFC brand, but I need to take a little bit of time off and heal my body up. Then we’ll see what’s next. There’s obviously a ton of different names out there, ton of possibilities, and we’ll see,” Chandler said 

Options

Chandler could chase the long-awaited Conor McGregor fight. The rivalry has been brewing ever since their time on The Ultimate Fighter 31 series. Chandler won the team challenge, while McGregor got his won back with the individual coach’s challenge. They had agreed to face off at UFC 303 last year on June 29. However, the fight never went ahead as McGregor withdrew from the fight with a broken toe. The fight could now play out, with both fighters not in the best form. 

Equally, Chandler has been linked with a fight against Max Holloway. The latter will defend his BMF Belt against Dustin Poirier in his next fight. That is expected to be The Diamond’s final fight, having beaten Holloway twice previously. Max recently returned to lightweight after getting knocked out by Ilia Topuria at featherweight. Holloway has not given any indication that he will walk away from the sport, while Chandler has previously stated he would like to take on Blessed in 2025. With only two wins from seven UFC fights, Chandler has plenty to prove.