Michael Chandler believes he’s ‘Dana White’s favorite fighter’ ahead of UFC 274 (video)

Michael Chandler brings violence to the Octagon every time he fights.

Michael Chandler is on a quest to win the UFC lightweight championship or put on the best fight possible against the toughest names available. He takes another step toward both those goals at UFC 274 when he faces off against Tony Ferguson.

“This is what I asked for,” Chandler said during the UFC 274 media day. “I always dreamt of coming here and putting on performance under the brightest lights and that’s what they gave me. It’s right where I wanted to be.”

Since joining those bright lights in 2021, Chandler has put on some of the most exciting fights in mixed martial arts. He’s 1-2 in the Octagon, with a win over Dan Hooker and loses to Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira. Even though he’s riding the wave of those two losses into his fight against Ferguson, Chandler is determined to stay the course and push forward.

“I gave up trying to be perfect long ago,” Chandler said. “You go through a couple of losses and you realize it’s all part of the process.”

That same process helped Chandler find a lot of success during his run with Bellator where he held that company’s lightweight title three times. Along the way, he picked up wins over names like Eddie Alvarez, Benson Henderson, and Marcin Held. That success hasn’t followed him to the UFC, but he remains one of the top fighters in the company.

“I am Dana White’s favorite fighter,” Chandler said. “My ‘Dana White privilege’ isn’t going to make a difference no matter what.”

Tony Ferguson needs to pick up a win to silence the doubters

Ferguson is looking to rebound from his own three-fight losing streak. This came after a 12-fight winning streak that started in 2013. In that run alone he defeated many of the top names in the UFC including Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee, and Rafael dos Anjos. He was a guy that Chandler has long had his eye on.

“Tony Ferguson was at the top of the division at the time,” Chandler said. “He was looked at as one of the top lightweights in the world. He’s been the guy I’ve wanted to fight since the very beginning and now we get to do it on Saturday night.”

Even as Ferguson is on that skid, Chandler looks at him like a worthy opponent that he can’t take lightly.

“He’s probably going to be at his most dangerous,” Chandler said. “The thing that makes Tony so scary is that he’s so unpredictable is that there isn’t a man alive that can help you prepare for him. That’s why everyone is going to be on the edge of their seat and that’s why we are going to steal the show.”

UFC 274: Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje takes place on Saturday, May 7, 2022, live from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. Follow along with FanSided MMA, who is on-site, for all your news and highlights.