Due to his prior commitments, Gilbert Burns is unavailable, therefore Daniel Cormier suggests Michael Chandler as a replacement for Jorge Masvidal.
After being challenged to a “BMF” bout by Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Masvidal recently told MMA Junkie that the fight wasn’t even somewhat interesting to him.
However, Cormier believes it should pique his attention. Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) claims he is still after a championship opportunity, and Cormier feels a bout with Chandler, given the latter’s star power, may be the catalyst he needs to finally achieve that ambition.
“I believe there’s more value in this fight for Masvidal than he even believes,” Cormier said.
“He seems to still want to be champion, and I think that the first step in trying to be a champion is exactly what he’s doing – trying to get on the same card as Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards because, as we saw before, that’s how he got his first championship fight.
“I think he needs to recognize that there’s more value in the Chandler fight than he believes because it might just get him closer to what he wants, and that’s another shot at the welterweight championship. But the first thing you’ve got to do is find a way to get on that card, and if no one else is available, that guy (Chandler) in Tennessee would step up right away.”
The three bout losing streak for Masvidal is to top-level opponents. Masvidal lost two championship bouts to former welterweight champion Usman before losing a decision to ex-training partner and erstwhile close friend Colby Covington at UFC 272 in March.
Recently, Chandler has also lost some significant bouts. Despite losing a Fight of the Year contender with Justin Gaethje in a fight that went the distance, he bounced back with a Knockout of the Year candidate against Tony Ferguson in UFC 274. Former interim champion Dustin Poirier submitted Chandler in their most recent bout at UFC 281.
