Michael Chandler has disclosed that his original planned opponent for June 14th was a top contender in the lightweight division. However, this fight did not materialize, leading to his current scheduled bout against the No. 9 ranked 155-pound fighter, Mauricio Ruffy, at UFC Freedom 250.
Chandler’s initial preference was to face Conor McGregor on June 14th. The UFC, however, had different plans, and McGregor will now make his return against Max Holloway at UFC 329. Meanwhile, Chandler is set to compete against Ruffy.
In a recent interview with Megan Olivi, Michael Chandler stated that he had accepted a fight against an opponent who was ranked within the top five. Chandler did not name the fighter but explained that the individual was not available to compete on June 14th. Consequently, the UFC proposed a fight with Mauricio Ruffy, to which Chandler agreed.
“At the very beginning, there was a different opponent that I accepted,” Chandler said. “But he wasn’t able to compete at that time. He is inside the top 5. He wasn’t able to make it. They [UFC] said what do you think about Ruffy, I said ‘Of course.’”
Speculation on the Original Opponent
It is highly probable that Michael Chandler is referring to the top lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan himself had previously stated that the UFC had considered booking him against Chandler. According to Tsarukyan, these plans were abandoned when the promotion realized it could be a difficult stylistic matchup for Chandler, who is currently on a three-fight losing streak and faces further pressure with another defeat.
“They called me about Michael Chandler,” Tsarukyan commented on the PBD Podcast. “They wanted to match me up with Chandler, but then they realized it’s a bad fight for him. He represents them, and it’s like a 99.9% chance I beat him. So they went with Ruffy instead.”
Aside from Tsarukyan, other fighters in the top five lightweight rankings are either already scheduled for upcoming fights or were unlikely candidates to face Michael Chandler next.
Tsarukyan is also serving as the backup fighter for the main event of UFC Freedom 250, which might have influenced the UFC’s decision not to pit him against Chandler on June 14th.
