Michael Chandler has been Bellator lightweight champion and he hopes to have that title around his waist once again on Friday night in Hawaii but that’s no longer his greatest concern.
Regarded as one of the top 155-pound fighters on the planet, Chandler has been to the top of the mountain on a couple of occasions previously and looks to stake his claim there again when facing Brent Primus in the main event at Bellator 212.
Assuming the fight goes his way this weekend, Chandler is then going to turn his attention to the opponents and opportunities that will mean the most for his legacy not to menion his bank account.
“I want the big fights, the big opportunities, the big names. That’s my thing,” Chandler said ahead of his fight at Bellator 212. “When you’ve been fighting as long as I have, fighting a no name guy for the belt is not as cool as fighting a big name for nothing. I want some of these big names, some of these big fights, these big rivalries.
“We’ve still got Patricio Pitbull continuing to talk about me, even though he won’t sign a contract to fight me. We’ve got some interesting matchups at 170 [pounds]. They are continuing to sign top talent at 170. I’d love to take the right match, the right opportunity, the right dance partner. There’s all kinds of opportunities.”
“I want the big fights, the big opportunities, the big names. That’s my thing” ~ Michael Chandler
Chandler just recently re-upped with Bellator on a new contract after testing free agency and he likes the direction the company is headed.
Just recently, Bellator struck a deal to send bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell to Japan to face Kyoji Horiguchi in RIZIN on New Year’s Eve.
Chandler loves the idea of doing something similar to that or maybe jumping up a weight class to challenge the winner of the ongoing Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix.
Those are the kinds of fights that will get Chandler excited to compete and that’s what he wants more than anything or his career.
“You see Darrion Caldwell going over to RIZIN. You see cross promotion possibilities. Eddie Alvarez is no longer in the UFC, he’s in ONE Championship. There’s some possibilities there,” Chandler stated. “The possibilities are somewhat endless in MMA right now when you start talking about trades and all this.
“So I’m excited to see how it all plays out. That’s one of my reasons for re-signing with Bellator was that I could sit back and see how the landscape unfolds and see what the next step is.”
