‘It’s going to be a Bellator vs UFC fight’ – Bellator CEO Scott Coker says Michael Chandler will be representing Bellator when he fights for the lightweight title against Charles Oliveira

‘It’s going to be a Bellator vs UFC fight’ – Bellator CEO Scott Coker says Michael Chandler will be representing Bellator when he fights for the lightweight title against Charles Oliveira

Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler will soon be taking on Charles Oliveira at UFC 262, on the 15th of May, for the vacant lightweight title. ‘Iron Mike’ shot right into the spotlight after making an impressive debut at UFC 257, against Dan Hooker. The win saw him break into the top 5 of the lightweight rankings in double-quick fashion, impressing his former boss Scott Coker. (Bellator CEO)

Speaking about this in an interview with MMA Junkie, Scott Coker revealed that Michael Chandler will be representing the Bellator when he competes for the UFC title against Charles Oliveira. He also revealed that he is quite surprised that the former Bellator great has soon found himself, just a step away from the title shot.

‘Michael is home-grown here and he’s had a lot of fights‘ – Scott Coker on Michael Chandler

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Scott Coker was quoted as saying, “Michael is home-grown here and he’s had a lot of fights. I’m not surprised at all because he was our world champ for a while until he was beat by ‘Pitbull.’ So to me, I always felt like if he’s going to go over there, I told him, ‘Hey, when you go over there, you’ve got to go get that belt. Go kick some ass, go beat up everybody, and get that title.’ Did I think he was going to do it in two fights? No.“

He continued, “But you know what? I’m happy for him. He’s proven himself and it’s something that, to me, it’s going to be a Bellator vs. UFC fight. You have Michael who fights for the UFC, but he’s home-grown here. We’ve always known his talent, so when he knocks that kid out, or whoever he’s fighting, then he’s going to be the champ. ‘Pitbull’ will always have a claim (as the best in the world) because he beat Chandler.”

Michael Chandler showed his prowess when he knocked out Dan Hooker in the very first round. The explosive American was too hot to handle for the lanky (for the lightweight division) Dan Hooker. His opponent, Charles Oliveira, on the other hand is coming off a dominating victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 256, and will be looking forward to bringing laurels to his nation of Brazil, by becoming the first lightweight champion from Brazil, since Rafael dos Anjos.

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