Report: UFC is ‘front runner’ to sign Chandler, could fight Ferguson

It looks like the former Bellator champ is indeed headed to the UFC, and could face a former interim titleholder in his debut.

We learned last weekend that the UFC had been in talks with free agent and former three-time Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler. UFC president Dana White was quite complimentary, saying that he “liked him”.

Now, it seems that Chandler signing with the UFC is more and more likely, and he could end up with a very high-profile opponent for his debut in the promotion. According to a report from ESPN, the UFC is the “front runner” to sign Chandler, and that a fight against Tony Ferguson might be in the cards for him.

The report does indicate that whether Ferguson is actually interested in that fight is unknown at this point, as he has been trying to make a fight with Dustin Poirier happen. White has killed the idea of that fight though, indicating last night following the Contender Series event that Ferguson does not have a set opponent at this point.

Chandler (21-5) was a stalwart of Bellator’s lightweight division for almost a decade, and most recently knocked out former UFC champ Ben Henderson in August. It is no surprise that the UFC would want to use him to fight guys at the top of their 155-pound division right away, and Ferguson seems to be a great fit. We’ll have to see how negotiations go though - sometimes things don’t work out. Just ask Poirier.