Chandler can’t help but get excited at the prospect of fighting Makhachev for the lightweight title. He loves the stylistic matchup between his wrestling and Makhachev’s grappling.
“I think I’m the best wrestler in the division,” Chandler said. “I think he needs to get through a lightweight before we talk about him fighting a featherweight [Alexander Volkanovski] even though they are both at the top of pound-for-pound list, but that’s not up to me.”
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With the UFC’s plans for the lightweight title out of his control, all of Chandler’s attention is lasered in on “The Diamond”.
Chandler sees Poirier as another one of those fighters who lives a champion’s lifestyle, who does the little things right, is a technician and, most of all, is always looking to be the best version of themselves.
“You’re getting two see two guys at the pinnacle of their careers at the mecca of combat sports, and the emotions and the feeling are going to be high,” Chandler said. “The pace is going to be breakneck, and you got two guys that want to get a finish; two guys that don’t want to fight fifteen minutes. I want go out there and I want to finish Dustin Poirier and he wants to finish me inside fifteen minutes. May the best man win, one of us is going to get our hand raised, and I also think that you’ll see mutual respect after the fight.”
