The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy once said, "Some men see things as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream things that never were and ask, 'Why not?'
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler is a guy who embodies RFK’s credo. He’s one of the most optimistic men you'll ever meet. He has full belief in himself and the audacity to dream beyond what seems possible.
Chandler has received a torrent of abuse in the last 18+ months while waiting for Conor McGregor when it seemed highly unlikely McGregor would fight him.
Chandler, though, has not let that deter him from dreaming big. When the McGregor fight was no longer possible, he accepted a rematch with Charles Oliveira, which will be Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
While most fighters politely decline to talk about future bouts in the days before a scheduled match, the uber-optimistic Chandler isn’t one. He laid out a mind-bogglingly difficult schedule that is sure to get the critics up in arms.
Let's be honest here, though, for a minute: Chandler has given the naysayers plenty of ammunition. Take, for instance, his interview he did with me, which is linked below. Toward the end of the interview, he laid out an extraordinarily ambitious road map.
It begins Saturday in The Garden with the rematch with Oliveira. Their first fight was at UFC 262 on Nov. 6, 2021, when Oliveira won the lightweight belt that Khabib Nurmagomedov vacated by knocking Chandler out 19 seconds into the second round.
Chandler enters the rematch with a 2-3 UFC record. He's coming off of a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 on Nov. 12, 2022, in The Garden, when Poirier submitted him with a rear naked choke.
Despite all of that, Chandler told me his goal is to defeat Oliveira on Saturday and then in 2025 to defeat, in order, McGregor, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and BMF champion Max Holloway.
That's an extraordinary schedule for anyone to take on, let alone for a guy who is 38 and has lost three of his last four.
Is it likely to happen: Heck, no! There are far too many variables, including but not limited to the fact that McGregor may never fight again.
That said, isn't this what we want the fighters to not only aspire to do but to actually do? Heavyweight champion Jon Jones is taking it on the chin for the exact opposite reason, saying he is not that interested in fighting interim champion Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight title, even though many see Aspinall as his greatest challenge.
Chandler isn't out looking for a fight he knows he'd win. He's looking to run through Murderer's Row, which is what his UFC career has been all about.
"Man, I've fought nothing but the toughest dudes in the entire division," Chandler said. "If you go back to the lightweight rankings of when I signed [with the UFC] in September 2020, and you take Khabib out of there because Khabib retired, every single other guy, including Conor McGregor, was ranked inside of the top five. I fought every single one of those guys and either beat them or been in a hell of a fight."
Of course, he was scheduled to fight McGregor but hasn't done so since McGregor hasn't competed since injuring his leg in a fight with Poirier at UFC 264 on July 10, 2021.
On Sept. 30, 2020, the Top 6 below Nurmagomedov, the then-champion, were as follows:
1. Justin Gaethje
2. Dustin Poirier
3. Tony Ferguson
4. Dan Hooker
5. Conor McGregor
6. Charles Oliveira
But the difficult part is pulling off his dream scenario.
"Let me give you my road real quick, because I already have it mapped out," he said. "Charles Oliveira on Nov. 16, I beat him [and] I become the No. 1 contender. I'm sitting cageside for Islam and Arman [Tsarukyan] in the first month or so of 2025. Then we go into Ramadan. I believe Islam wins and Ramadan means Islam can't be in training camp February and March and won't be able to fight until at least June or July.
"If Conor is able to come back, I can fight Conor in March and fight Islam in June or July. [I'll] beat him and by that time, Max Holloway, who has already moved up to lightweight, beats someone and becomes the No. 1 contender and then we have Chandler and Max Holloway at the end of 2025."
I don't believe that's going to happen because defeating that level of opposition in a span of a year or less is one of the most difficult tasks ever undertaken in MMA.
Oliveira is a -225 favorite at DraftKings sportsbook to win on Saturday, with Chandler at +165. Chandler would likely be an underdog in every bout and might be more than 5-1 underdog against Makhachev.
Chandler's style is frequently mocked because many believe he takes unnecessary risks. Even if true, it guarantees edge-of-your-seat action in each of those fights and what can be better than seeing a fighter push himself, and his opponent, to his limits and beyond?
And in the event he defeats Oliveira and McGregor, wouldn't that make a bout with Makhachev highly intriguing? With a title win, a Holloway bout would be one of the year's biggest.
So mock him if you wish, but I say give me more like Michael Chandler. I want to see guys who deliver action, who reach for the stars and never stop dreaming big.
That's what makes sports so great is when the athletes try to do the seemingly impossible. Chandler may not be able to pull it off, but I for one would love to see him give it a shot.
In a sport fueled by hard work, grit and ambition, Chandler’s dreams — no matter how improbable — are what make watching his journey worth every step.
Like RFK Sr., Chandler sees big things that are daunting to others and says, 'Why not?'
Imagn Images file photo
Michael Chandler has an ambitious plan laid out for 2025.