Scott Coker: Michael Chandler's title fight will be a Bellator vs. UFC matchup

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Scott Coker thinks Michael Chandler will be representing Bellator when he competes for the UFC title.

Chandler (22-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) spent almost 10 years under the Bellator banner, where he became one of the most accomplished and notable names in the promotion’s history. He captured the lightweight title three times during his tenure.

In his most recent championship fight, Chandler lost his title when he was stopped by Patricio Freire in the first round at Bellator 221 in May 2019. He fought two more times for Bellator and had back-to-back first round knockouts over Sidney Outlaw and former UFC and WEC lightweight champ Benson Henderson before he entered free agency.

Chandler signed with the UFC and made a big splash in his octagon debut in January. He knocked out Dan Hooker in the first round at UFC 257 and now finds himself in a vacant lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira in the UFC 262 main event May 15.

But Coker still sees Chandler as team Bellator.

“Michael is home-grown here and he’s had a lot of fights,” Coker told MMA Junkie. “I’m not surprised at all because he was our world champ for a while until he was beat by ‘Pitbull.’ So to me, I always felt like if he’s going to go over there, I told him, ‘Hey, when you go over there, you’ve got to go get that belt. Go kick some ass, go beat up everybody, and get that title.’ Did I think he was going to do it in two fights? No.

“But you know what? I’m happy for him. He’s proven himself and it’s something that, to me, it’s going to be a Bellator vs. UFC fight. You have Michael who fights for the UFC, but he’s home-grown here. We’ve always known his talent, so when he knocks that kid out, or whoever he’s fighting, then he’s going to be the champ. ‘Pitbull’ will always have a claim (as the best in the world) because he beat Chandler.”

Lightweight and featherweight champion Freire defends his 145-pound title against Emmanuel Sanchez on Friday in a bout that also is a semifinal in Bellator’s featherweight tournament. He currently is ranked as Bellator’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Freire claimed Chandler’s UFC success proves the quality of Bellator’s fighters and if Chandler becomes champ, it’ll only further prove how good he is.