Well-known journalist Ariel Helwani reported that UFC Armenian lightweight Arman Tsarukyan is still the main candidate for a bout with division champion Islam Makhachev of Dagestan.
"We've seen Michael Chandler's posts about a title fight. As far as I know, that's not in the UFC's plans. I say this with the utmost respect for Chandler. He's a supporter of the promotion to the last. He's trying to surprise people that he's been offered a fight for the belt. We don't even know if that's true. It's all part of the game. It ended up being turned into a news story that even Dos Anjos and Puryear are discussing.
The plan for the next titleholder remains the same - Tsarukyan vs. Makhachev. The management is also hoping to organize a Chandler vs. McGregor fight, but the date of that fight is still unknown," Helwani said on his show The MMA Hour.