For the women fighting in the 135lbs and 145lbs divisions in the UFC, these are uncertain times. With Amanda Nunes stepping away from the game with no heir apparent in either division, they are more open than any division has ever been.
Chelsea Chandler, who has plied her trade in both of those divisions in the past, sees that opportunity out there. However, she isn’t sold on the idea that ‘The Lioness’ has gone away permanently.
“It is wide open, but the way I look at it is, you look at Conor McGregor, he retired, he came back,” Chandler pointed out. “People retire because they don’t have any challenges.”
Chandler points to Nunes’ last fight, a bantamweight title defense last month. Over the course of 25 minutes with Irene Aldana, Nunes didn’t lose a single one. She took every round and even nabbed a few 10-8s on the way. That, Chandler points out, give Nunes every reason to walk away.
“Look at Amanda’s last fight. She fought Irene Aldana, who was supposed to give her this big challenge and Irene fought like a deer in the headlights,” she said. “You’re waking up every morning to fight another average individual.”
With the right motivation, the right challenger, she thinks Nunes may still want to get back in the octagon. It would take the perfect stars to all align though.
“I just think there hasn’t been anybody who has gone out there, put a beatdown on someone, and got her attention to make her wake up in the morning and actually train,” Chandler hypothesizes. “And there’s really not a lot of girls going out there and talking and creating any kind of auora as a female fighter. So I think if you go out there and talk shit and you bring what you’re bringing they’re going to have no choice but to listen to you because nobody else is doing it.”
Regardless of whether the former champ is enticed by what Chandler brings this weekend, the Stockton native is still excited about what the future brings at featherweight.
“I’m not too bummed either way. There are other options. Germaine de Randamie, she was the first champion at 145lbs. She’s back,” she said. “My eyes are wide open because there’s a lot of options. A lot of people might not see them, but they’re out there.”
She looks to take the next step towards being the next big thing at 145lbs when she takes on Norma Dumont this Saturday at UFC Vegas 77. That fight will take place on the main card which starts at 7pm EST.
You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:23.
