Michael Chandler set to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 274

UFC 274 just got a whole lot better. An action-packed lightweight clash is set to get underway for May 7th.

Former Lightweight Challengers Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson will collide in a lightweight battle on the same night as the UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliviera defends his title against the  Justin ‘Highlight’ Gaethje.


“You f*****g dodged me, too, Chandler – you’re a b****,” Ferguson told Chandler at a press conference.

“Every person out here except this guy that’s sitting next to me [Oliveira]. I’m going to be real.”

“You f*****g said ‘no’, I’m going to be real. You got this s*** handed to you.”

“You got Dana White privilege,” Ferguson said, referencing the UFC’s president.

Both Chandler and Ferguson are coming off of a loss, Chandler last fought at UFC 268.  In an absolute war against Gaethje, Chandler wound up losing via unanimous decision with his face baring the brunt of damage. Before that, he lost to Charles Oliviera for the vacant title at UFC 262. This was Chandler’s second fight in the UFC.

On the other hand, Ferguson hasn’t won a fight since UFC 238 when he fought against Cowboy Cerrone (2019). He lost in one-sided bouts against Gaethje and Oliviera in 2020 and Beneil Dariush in 2021.  The winner of this fight is likely to keep the better ranking in addition to being a contender to fight either McGregor on his comeback or the winner of Dariush vs Makhachev.
UFC 274 takes place on May 7 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ.

Full lineup:

Lightweight : (C)Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje
Lightweight: Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson
Lightweight: Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon
Light Heavyweight: Maurício Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux
Heavyweight: Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima
Featherweight: Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont
Welterweight: Randy Brown vs. Khaos Williams
Welterweight: Francisco Trinaldo vs. Danny Roberts
Flyweight : Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell
Strawweight: Ariane Carnelossi vs. Lupita Godinez
Flyweight: C.J. Vergara vs. Kleydson Rodrigues
Bantamweight: Journey Newson vs. Fernie Garcia
Lightweight: Michael Johnson vs. Alan Patrick