Michael Chandler disagrees with Arman Tsarukyan’s hasty rejection of Islam Makhachev.
Tsarukyan solidified his status as the No. 1 contender by defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 last Saturday. Tsarukyan was soon offered a title fight against lightweight champion Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) at UFC 302 on June 1, but Tsarukyan declined, citing insufficient time to prepare.
Chandler believes Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) made a mistake that could cost him his life in the future.
“Arman just went out there and beat Oliveira, and it looks like he’s going to be the No. 1 contender next,” Chandler said on “The MMA Hour.” “I don’t understand why he didn’t take that fight. I would have taken it. Man, this sport moves so fast. This sport moves so fast.
“You’re going to see the lightweight title (fight) happen on June 1st, and a few weeks after that you’re going to see the biggest fight (Chandler vs. McGregor), a much bigger fight, happen. It’s going to happen. And both of them can be lightweight. This sport is fast-moving, so you have to take chances and jump on them.”
Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) knows it sounds ironic, considering he’s been waiting a long time to schedule a fight with Conor McGregor, but he hasn’t offered a fight in the meantime. claims that it was not done. Chandler will face McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in a welterweight bout at UFC 303 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s UFC 302 event hub.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and other content with mixed martial arts fans.
