Brendan Schaub names Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz as "easy" path to title for Michael Chandler
Brendan Schaub has urged Michael Chandler to focus on fighting Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz before challenging again for the lightweight title.
Last weekend, the UFC announced that former champ Charles Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev for the vacant 155lb title in October.
Michael Chandler had initially expressed his interest in rematching 'Do Bronx' for the vacant title before also calling out Conor McGregor in his stunning post-fight interview at UFC 274. 'Iron' delivered one of the most devastating front-kick KO's to Tony Ferguson but his performance on the mic was equally impressive.
On the latest episode of The Schaub Show, 'Big Brown' admitted he'd like the 36-year-old to earn his biggest paydays by facing 'Notorious' and Nate Diaz while the title picture plays out between Oliveira and Makhachev:
"I figured it out. Fight Nate [Diaz] and Conor [McGregor], make all the money. He's [Michael Chandler] a new dad again so he has two kids. Make all the f*****g money, take all their fanbase, take all their fame, beat both of them and then go for the title shot. That's the move dude. I don't know who his manager is, but that's the move."
Nate Diaz has one fight remaining on his UFC contract and Conor McGregor is recovering from a serious injury. The Irishman is expected to return to the octagon by the end of the year or early 2023 which would leave plenty of time for the UFC to book Chandler vs. Diaz first.
Catch the latest episode of The Schaub Show here:
Dana White interested in booking Michael Chandler vs. Conor McGregor
The Irishman's UFC return is highly anticipated but it has remained a mystery who the former champ-champ will face.
With seemingly everybody interested in fighting 'Notorious', it took a special call-out from Michael Chandler at UFC 274 to get the 34-year-old's attention. 'Iron' has even offered to take the step up to 170lbs to secure the fight.
In a now deleted tweet, the Dublin-born fighter responded to Chandler:
Speaking to TMZ Sports last month, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Chandler vs. McGregor is a fight he'd be interested in booking:
"I really like [Michael] Chandler vs. Conor [McGregor] after Chandler's last fight. There's plenty of fights to make. I don't know if that's the one but we'll see what the landscape looks like when Conor comes back... I'm just saying after his last interview, his last fight, Conor's ranked No.8, he's ranked No.5 - it makes a lot of sense right now."
Since White's interview, McGregor has fallen out of the lightweight's top 10 rankings for the first time since 2016 whereas Chandler remains No.5 in the division.
Catch Dana White's interview here: