UFC newcomer Michael Chandler has challenged Jorge Masvidal for his luxurious ‘BMF’ belt.
In an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Chandler toyed with the idea of fighting for the belt and believes he has a case “Baddest Mother F*****” in the UFC.
“You tell me who the BMF is right now in the UFC?” Chandler said. “If we did a poll right now, who’s the baddest mother fudger in the UFC?”
“Tell me that wouldn’t get the juices flowing of the entire mixed martial arts world,” he continued. “Michael Chandler versus Jorge Masvidal for the BMF belt. ‘The Rock’ walking in with it over his shoulder and then handing it to me 15 minutes later.”
It would be hard to argue with the former Bellator champion, given his memorable five fights under the company since joining in 2021. Chandler has been in countless electrifying fights with Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier. He also added highlight reel finishes over Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson.
Masvidal has fought three times since attaining the ‘BMF’ belt at UFC 244 over Nate Diaz but has never put it on the line. The UFC introduced Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for the special bout, who wrapped the belt around Masvidal after the fight, adding to the excitement.
Since winning the belt, Masvidal has faced a tough time in the Octagon, losing his last three. The backyard brawler tasted defeat twice to Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title and recently lost to Colby Covington at UFC 272.
Chandler has proven to be must-watch TV after earning four Fight of the Night bonuses in his five fights. His most recent $50,000 bonus came in the way of a wild fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. Chandler had some positive moments in the Fight but ultimately fell short and was caught in a rear-naked choke in round three.
Michael Chandler on Past Defeats
Never one to shy away from defeat, Chandler didn’t make any excuses for his past losses but knew deep down with a few tweaks in the fight, those fights could have unfolded differently.
“Man, I will never ever downplay or make excuses for a loss,” Chandler said to Okamoto. “But it seems like a recurring theme now, you know? Losing to Charles Oliveira, losing to Justin Gaethje and losing to Dustin Poirier — do I think better than those guys? I think I have proven to lose to those guys. But I do think fighting the upper echelon of guys in your weight class, in the entire world of eight billion people on the planet, and at 155 pounds, you’re fighting the who’s who — the toughest guys in the world — you’re going to take losses.
“If me and Poirier fight 10 times, do I beat him a couple times? Do I beat him the majority of the time? Do I beat him no times? I don’t know. Same thing with Gaethje, same thing with Oliveira. You don’t really know. But I do you know you’re within a gnat’s eyelash of winning these fights in certain exchanges. Or if a fight goes a different way or if one position goes a different way.”
Would you like to see Jorge Masvidal and Michael Chandler clash for the ‘BMF’ belt?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
