“A shot at that BMF belt” – Michael Chandler shifts focus to welterweight and Jorge Masvidal amid submission loss to Dustin Poirier
Michael Chandler (L), Jorge Masvidal (R)
Michael Chandler just suffered one of the toughest losses of his career to Dustin Poirier at UFC 278. The nature of the loss was brutal – despite outclassing Poirier in the second round, Chandler couldn’t fend off the Louisianan’s crisp rear naked choke that ended his fight.
Michael Chandler stands at the precipice of the lightweight division’s upper echelons. He is 2-3 in the UFC, with spectacular wins over Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson. That being said, he has lost all of his fights against the elite of the division. That is, since his debut in 2020, he has been defeated by Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje and now, Dustin Poirier.
It seems like he has changed his ploy to get back to title-winning trajectory. At his post-fight press conference, he called out the sport’s biggest name Conor McGregor to take him head-on in a duel at welterweight. Having received no response from the Irishman, or hype from the fans, Chandler has been forced to call out yet another big name – this time, it is Jorge Masvidal.
Speaking about it with Ariel Helwani, he said, “I would love a shot at that BMF belt… that BMF belt would look awesome. I think Masvidal is, ton of respect for him as well. Wouldn’t consider him an acquaintance in the sport, got no ill will towards him whatsoever. I think I have positioned myself as one of the guys who is the BMF.”
Could Michael Chandler have a serious claim to the BMF title which is currently held by Jorge Masvidal?
The BMF belt, or the belt for the “Baddest Mother*****” belongs to Jorge Masvidal, and has been held by him ever since he defeated Nate Diaz in 2019. The BMF belt is typically given to the rowdiest and most vicious fighter on the roster. Masvidal’s claim to it came mainly because of his seven-second knockout of Ben Askren three years back.
Since, however, Masvidal has gone 0-3 in the promotion, and, as such, the question remains to be asked – should he still be holding it? Although the belt has no real bragging rights, it still is somewhat of an accolade.
Coming to Michael Chandler, the situation remains the same. He, no doubt, is a complete brawler inside the octagon – he could have possibly finished off Poirier in the first round of their fight, itself. That being said, he has lost to the best of the best in the 155 pound division. However, a welterweight fight against Masvidal will tempt the fans – expect little to no grappling between the two!
Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)