Arguably the biggest news in MMA the past few weeks has been the UFC’s signing of former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler. Chandler, who has long been viewed as one of the top lightweights in the world, finished up his contract with Bellator MMA this summer and will now ply his trade inside the octagon for the first time.
But the big news wasn’t just that Chandler signed with the UFC, it was that he was immediately given a huge opportunity with the promotion, being declared as the official backup fighter for UFC 254’s lightweight title fight.