Outlook: The lightweight division’s chaos agent in 2021 found himself on the fast track for the title and was perhaps one or two more clean ground-and-pound strikes away from earning the belt in the first round against Charles Oliveira. As it happens, though, MMA reared its fickle head, and it was the Brazilian walking out of the Octagon with the belt around his waist. The good thing for “Iron” is that he has a world of options ahead. He is determined to get another shot at the belt, and for maybe the first time in a long time, the division doesn’t feel super settled with Khabib Nurmagomedov gone. The belt could change hands one or two times by the time Chandler potentially gets back to a challenging position. It’s been a whirlwind since Chandler signed with the promotion, so he has earned a bit of a vacation, but when he returns to work, fights with Gaethje, Dariush, or even the loser of McGregor and Poirier are on the table, and that’s just in the Top 5. Chandler is a name in the division, so plenty of fighters hoping to crack the top half might eye him as their target, and that could also provide Chandelr with an opportunity to get back on track toward the title.
Where We Stand: UFC 262 Edition
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