Michael Chandler proved to the world he is a top-five lightweight and now wants Khabib Nurmagomedov to return.
Throughout his career, Nurmagomedov and his father had this plan of going 30-0 and then retiring. However, after his father passed away, the champion retired at 29-0, but Chandler hopes the Dagestani native returns for one more and it will be against him.
The three-time Bellator lightweight champion knows his wrestling background and knockout power poses a ton of problems for the champ. Not only does Michael Chandler wants the fight for his legacy, but he is confident he would be the one to hand Nurmagomedov his first career loss.
“Listen, Khabib, you’re the greatest of all times, you are the GOAT,” Chandler said after UFC 257. “You are undefeated, you’ve looked unbeatable. You are right, none of these guys can hold a candle to you. What are you gonna do, come back and rematch one of these guys? It’s not gonna happen, you don’t need to do that, you’re a champion, but when a guy who shows that he’s got a wrestling pedigree when a guy who comes in and shows… Yeah, he’s not undefeated. Listen, I’m not undefeated. I wear my Ls on my sleeve, I got five of them. A couple of them were weird stoppages, TKO, injury, default, whatever you call it, but every single time I’ve come back better.
“I’m by no means a perfect man inside that octagon, but I promise you I can beat that man. I promise you I can beat Khabib, so I told him – I didn’t tell him personally, but I told him through the camera lens. You’ve earned every right to be able to sail off into the sunset and continue living your life and making your impact because you’ve done it thus far. But, man, if you ever do come back, there’s a man over here waiting for you from High Ridge, Missouri.”
There is no question the way Chandler looked on Saturday that he could pose a threat to Nurmagomedov. However, it is uncertain if the Dagestani native will ever return.
