Khabib Nurmagomedov is like 'LeBron James and Tom Brady put together,' according to UFC lightweight Michael Chandler
- Khabib Nurmagomedov's popularity in the Middle East and Russia is so intense that he's like a celebrity-athlete hybrid of LeBron James and Tom Brady.
- That's according to the UFC's new addition Michael Chandler, who joined the martial arts firm from Bellator MMA, where he was a three-time lightweight champion.
- Chandler said he gets many texts and audio messages from excitable Russians, but doesn't understand the language and presumes it's abuse or hate from Khabib fans as he's linked with a Nurmagomedov bout.
- The American wants to fight Nurmagomedov, and there's an outside chance he could do so at UFC 254 on Saturday.
- As a standby fighter, Chandler will be called upon to fight if either Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje suffers injury or illness before then, an event the American thinks is unlikely.
- Considering Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are in advanced talks for a January 23 ruckus, only Tony Ferguson is really a viable, well-ranked opponent for Chandler.
- Chandler called Ferguson the "scariest guy in the division" but said he would welcome the challenge.
FIGHT ISLAND — Khabib Nurmagomedov is "like LeBron James and Tom Brady put together" when it comes to intense popularity in multiple countries around the world.
That's according to Michael Chandler, the UFC's big-name recruit this year — who came to the UFC from Bellator MMA as a three-time lightweight champion with 11 years' worth of experience at the Santa Monica-based fight firm.
Chandler's first duty as a UFC athlete is as a standby fighter.
Should anything happen to the UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov or his opponent, the interim title-holder Justin Gaethje, ahead of UFC 254 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi — like a positive coronavirus test — then Chandler would be drafted in as a replacement.
Speaking during a media day involving UFC fighters on Tuesday, Chandler said if that scenario were to happen then he feels he'd be more prepared for the showdown than Nurmagomedov or Gaethje.
"My grappling will rival Khabib's and as you've seen in my past, the wars I've been in, I'm also not afraid to swing leather with Justin Gaethje for five rounds.
"Either way, I'll be prepared and I'll be more prepared for them if bad luck does befall the UFC because I've prepared for them, and they've not prepared from me."
Chandler then marveled at Nurmagomedov's stature in the fight game.
A sambo specialist, Nurmagomedov has an immaculate pro MMA record of 28 wins (eight knockouts, 10 submissions, and 10 decisions).
He is unbeaten during 12 years' of competition and has recorded dominant victories over Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, and Dustin Poirier.
Insider reported Wednesday about Nurmagomedov's soaring popularity in the United Arab Emirates, after an Abu Dhabi government official waxed lyrical about what the 32-year-old means to the region.
But Chandler said he is also a huge superstar in Russia, reflected by the amount of messages the American receives from people in Khabib's native Dagestan.
Chandler said he also receives audio messages but cannot understand them because the people who sent them are speaking Russian.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a celebrity athlete in multiple countries
"It's amazing … he's like LeBron James and Tom Brady put together in these other countries. And he's looked at like that celebrity, athlete, and he's treated like it.
"If people knew the opportunities and life that mixed martial arts can afford a kid from Dagestan, or the middle of nowhere — Missouri — like me, It's a really cool success story.
"I've received a ton of messages. Voice memos in Russian and different languages, I don't know what they're saying. They want to stand up for a countryman.
"And when Khabib and I are finally in a cage, I'll get more. Whether you call it hate, anti-support, either way I respect it."
Chandler said Nurmagomedov has unrelenting self-belief in himself. So much so that he cannot even envision losing a round let alone a fight.
"I think there's nothing wrong with unrelenting self-belief in yourself. The man has it. The man is a champion for a reason, regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
"But beat me if you can. I think I bring a specific skill-set, heart, and determination, and the culmination of the last 11 years building up of getting this opportunity. I can't wait to step in the cage with him."
Nurmagomedov may be popular, but he's not the scariest lightweight in the UFC
Chandler does not yet know how long he will have to be on standby.
The athletes on Fight Island are tested daily for COVID-19, and so a positive test from either headlining fighter would activate Chandler's promotion into the main event.
However, he expects to see them both Saturday in the Octagon.
Considering Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have publicly accepted a fight January 23, it leaves few top-ranked 155-pounders available for Chandler to compete against, should he do so against a prominent contender.
It leaves one fighter, though: Tony Ferguson — a man Chandler described as "the scariest guy."
He said: "I see Khabib and Gaethje fighting this weekend. Then Conor and Poirier look like it's going to get done. That leaves Tony Ferguson.
"I think he's down to fight and that's the perfect fight to introduce me to UFC fans," Chandler said. "Ferguson is the scariest guy in the division. He has a screw loose and he fights like it.
"That Tony Ferguson fight makes a ton of sense, it's a scary fight. Stepping in the cage with him scares me, and that excites me. I want to feel uncertainty because that's where I thrive."
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