Michael Chandler won’t be making his octagon debut on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 182.
After Islam Makhachev was forced out of this weekend’s lightweight headline due to staph infection, Rafael dos Anjos called upon former Bellator champ Chandler to come in and save the day.
Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) won’t be doing that, though. He answered fans pleading him to step in on Monday, and clarified there are “other plans” in the works for him that don’t involve fighting dos Anjos (30-13 MMA, 18-11 UFC) on short notice (via Instagram):
Chandler, who signed with the UFC earlier this year after roughly a decade with Bellator did not specify what could possibly be on the horizon for him if not for dos Anjos.
However, he’s been pushing for a top opponent in the 155-pound division, though, and has repeatedly labeled Tony Ferguson as the name of greatest interest for his debut.
Michael Chandler rejects push to step into UFC Fight Night 182 main event: ‘We have other plans’