UFC lightweight Michael Chandler isn’t taking his matchup with Tony Ferguson lightly.

The former Bellator lightweight champion is back for the first time since his loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 268. Their bout was one of the best of 2021, but it did send Chandler to his second loss in a row. He had previously lost to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 in May 2021 in a battle for the vacant lightweight title.

As a result, he decided to take a step back in competition. The 35-year-old is now set to face Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 next week. Like Chandler, ‘El Cucuy’ is also riding a losing streak. However, all three losses were in an extremely lopsided fashion.

Despite the three-fight losing streak, Michael Chandler isn’t taking his fight with Ferguson lightly. The UFC lightweight contender discussed the matchup on the DC and RC podcast. While he noted that Ferguson has lost his last few fights badly, in some ways, he’s still a more difficult matchup than Justin Gaethje.

“Tony Ferguson has always been a perennial top guy. We’re only a couple of years removed from that illustrious 12-fight win streak that he was on when he looked unbeatable, possibly could’ve even beaten Khabib… I see Tony Ferguson as a guy who is still extremely dangerous, still always performs well even when he runs into the toughest guys in the division. When you’re fighting the toughest guys in the division, you’re going to take losses.”

Michael Chandler continued, “Justin Gaethje was somewhat predictable. We knew he was going to go out there and throw those punches and leg kicks like we’ve seen Justin Gaethje do for the last decade. Tony Ferguson on the other hand, is a harder puzzle to solve. You never know what he’s going to do. The man is a certified lunatic inside the cage and we love him for it.”

What do you think about Michael Chandler’s matchup with Tony Ferguson at UFC 274?