Michael Chandler eyes BMF title fight with Max Holloway after UFC 303 bout vs. Conor McGregor

Michael Chandler hopes a fight with BMF champion Max Holloway is in his future.

Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), who is finally scheduled for his long-awaited matchup with Conor McGregor at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas, was cageside this past weekend at UFC 300 when Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) scored an all-time great knockout of Justin Gaethje to capture the BMF belt.

It was Holloway’s first lightweight fight in five years, and the win put him at the No. 9 spot in the official UFC divisional rankings. Chandler sits at No. 7 in the rankings, and given their proximity, he can’t help but crave a fight.

“Would I fight Max for the BMF belt? Absolutely,” Chandler said during an Instagram Q&A Tuesday. “I think it’s no coincidence now that he and I are ranked closely together in the 155 division. I think Max is a real one. Max embodies the BMF. Max created the most ‘Holy sh*t’ moment, the most BMF moment that we have ever seen. I would love the opportunity down the line. Obviously I’ve got business to take care of in 74 days.”

Chandler’s goal is always to do the biggest and best things possible in MMA. His matchup with McGregor is about as significant as it gets outside of competing for championship, but if he beats “The Notorious” at UFC 303, he wants an opportunity for a title.

Holloway is very compelling to Chandler, but he also has eyes on the UFC 302 main event between lightweight champ Islam Makhachev and challenger Dustin Poirier, who meet June 1 in Newark, N.J.

“If you guys noticed in the lightweight rankings, myself and Max Holloway in the lightweight rankings, we sure are close,” Chandler said. “There’s definitely a lot of people out there who have shared the same sentiment that I have, that I am one of the baddest dudes on the planet. I embody the BMF moniker.

“Obviously, I am focused on Conor (on) June 29 – I would love to smash Conor. I would love to fight Islam or Poirier or (Arman) Tsarukyan. I guess not Gaethje. Maybe not now. But whoever’s got the belt at lightweight, or I would love to fight Holloway or whoever has the BMF belt.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.