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Chael Sonnen was impressed with Michael Chandler's callout of Islam Makhachev. Chandler recently tweeted out encouraging Charles Oliveira to wait for Conor McGregor to return and fight the Irishman next.
'Iron Man' suggested that while Oliveira waits for the McGregor fight, he can fight Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title.
While it's not guaranteed that a potential clash between Chandler and Makhachev will have the lightweight title on the line, Sonnen believes it makes sense for the former Bellator champ to fight the Russian.
'The American Gangster' noted that most fighters usually shy away from calling out the Dagestani fighter, however, 'Iron' is built differently. Sonnen feels that Chandler made a smart decision by calling out Makhachev because that's how he'll eventually land a title fight or a money fight against Conor McGregor.
Sonnen explained that Makhachev is one of the toughest challenges for any fighter in the lightweight division right now. A win against him would put Chandler right in line for a shot at the currently vacant lightweight title or a blockbuster matchup with Conor McGregor.
In a recently shared video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:
"Nobody calls out Islam Makhachev, well Michael Chandler did... If you get a hold of Islam and you get the jump on Islam, you go forward and forward, the way Chandler laid the map out will either put you in the lap of Conor McGregor or Charles Oliveira so he gets exactly what he wanted... you can do the slow path which is the path that jon jones and the rest of the heavyweights are doing... or you do what Chandler did and you can line up a whole goddamn card today over breakfast that every fan in the world wants to see and every promoter out there is going to be very compelled take a good look at and possibly book."
Watch the video below:
Could the rivalry between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier culminate into a fight?
Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier got into a heated altercation at UFC 276 on June 2. Both fighters were seated in the audience watching the event when they got into a verbal spat and had to be separated. Although Chandler seems interested in fighting Makhachev, Poirier could be an ideal matchup for him.
Poirier is a prolific striker but Chandler's wrestling background could land the Louisianan in trouble in a potential clash. 'The Diamond' is a former interim champion and given the bad blood between the two fighters, there will be an abundance of hype surrounding a matchup between the pair.
Poirier is currently without an opponent and it could make sense for the promotion to cash in on the rivalry between him and Chandler by booking them opposite one another.
It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for Michael Chandler.
