"I will bury that man!"- Michael Chandler sends ominous warning to Khabib Nurmagomedov
UFC 257 marked the promotional debut of Michael Chandler, who defeated Dan Hooker in the co-main event of the first pay-per-view of 2021. In his post-fight octagon interview, 'Iron' put Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Dustin Poirier on notice.
At the post-event press conference, Michael Chandler once again called out Khabib Nurmagomedov. The former Bellator lightweight champion confidently promised that he will "bury" The Eagle if they ever cross paths. This was after Khabib made a throwaway comment in the lead up to UFC 254 that he could beat Chandler without even utilizing his wrestling.
Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement at UFC 254, the same event where Michael Chandler served as the backup for the reigning lightweight champion and the challenger Justin Gaethje. After his dominant win over The Highlight, Khabib went 29-0 and stated that he had promised his mother that he wouldn't return to the sport again.
UFC President Dana White has tried to convince The Eagle to step back into the octagon but at this point, Khabib will likely vacate the UFC lightweight title. By the looks of it, Khabib will instead focus on helping his teammate Islam Makhachev rise through the UFC lightweight rankings instead.
Michael Chandler is likely to challenge next for the UFC lightweight title
Michael Chandler put on a beautiful show at UFC 257. His second trip to Abu Dhabi with the promotion saw the former Bellator sensation finish Dan 'The Hangman' Hooker, in the first round of the fight.
It is now likely that Chandler challenges Dustin Poirier next, in order to crown the new UFC lightweight champion of the world. The Diamond arguably secured the biggest win of his career at UFC 257 when he beat Conor McGregor in the main event of the PPV. The loss marked McGregor's first defeat via TKO/KO and pretty much sealed Poirier's name in the lightweight title fight.
Having secured big wins on the same night, a fight could be booked between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier this summer. It is only a matter of time before Khabib Nurmagomedov vacates the 155-lbs title, as he has claimed that doesn't want to hold up the lightweight division.