- The upcoming
Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira title fight is also a match betweenBellator MMA and UFC. - That's the opinion of Bellator boss
Scott Coker who is rooting for his former three-time champion. - Chandler winning the UFC championship enhances Patricio Freire's legacy, Coker claimed.
Michael Chandler's upcoming UFC lightweight championship bout against Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 on May 15 is, for Bellator MMA boss Scott Coker, a match between his firm and Dana White's.
Chandler is a former three-time Bellator MMA champion but left the Hollywood-headquartered company in 2020 to sign with the UFC - a Las Vegas-based promotion.
The American fighter impressed in his January debut when he demolished Dan Hooker on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, and has been thrust into a 155-pound contest for the belt recently vacated by Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"I always felt like Michael Chandler could fight in the UFC, and against Charles Oliveira - that's a Bellator vs. UFC fight for the title over there," Coker told Insider.
"That's how I feel," he said. "He's done all his work here. Now he's over there, having great success, and I'm so happy for him.
"My last conversation with Michael was, 'Hey, go kick ass and win that belt. Go do it, man, and show them how we do it here at Bellator.' And he said, 'Right on, man. I'll fly the flag.'"
Coker continued: "I had a conversation with him the other day. We were texting back and forth, and I said, 'I'm so proud of you. And I want you to show people that the name of the league is just a name. It's the fighters who fight.'
"I'm rooting for Michael and I hope he wins the title."
Chandler's success could enhance Patricio Freire's legacy
Chandler's last loss was in 2019 to Patricio Freire, the No.1 ranked fighter in all weight classes at Bellator.
Friere returns to the cage Friday for the Bellator 255 event at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, broadcast on Showtime.
Victory against Emmanuel Sanchez in the semifinal of Bellator's featherweight Grand Prix would propel Freire into the $1 million final against AJ McKee, further enhancing his legacy as the best fighter in the company's history.
And Freire's win against Chandler could also look better with age should the American win the UFC title next month.
In that scenario, Freire could claim to be the best featherweight and the best lightweight on the planet regardless of promotional affiliation, Coker said.
"If Chandler wins then Pitbull can say he's the greatest lightweight in the world, as well as the greatest featherweight because he has that victory over Michael.
"Chandler was home-grown in Bellator and he may have lost to Pitbull, but any success he has over there, we celebrate with him," said Coker.