Issue 185

If Michael Chandler could choose one opponent to test himself against, it would be Khabib Nurmagomedov. Speaking after the Brent Primus fight, he explained his reasoning.

“Regardless of the organisation, Khabib is the best in the world. I want to fight the no.1 guy in the world. I think as we saw tonight, I can do that to anybody in the entire world. It’s tough. I kind of put myself in a predicament when I say Khabib, because people ask why I’m calling him out. But really it was a reporter who asked me who I wanted to fight. I’m not out here calling out Khabib. But I do think I hold the keys to that lock, to the puzzle that no one can solve.”

But as they’re in different organizations, is it possible, let alone likely?

“It is a shame. But now we’re talking trades. 2018 was a great time to be a fighter and 2019 is going to bring another couple of layers to what we can do. There’s going to be all kinds of things happening. This will be a different sport in two years from now and I’m still going to be in it. I know I’ve got a lot of years left in me.”