Michael Chandler: Bout vs. Josh Thomson 'bigger than either one us fighting Will Brooks'

Michael Chandler said the Bellator lightweight title should take a backseat to what he believes is the biggest fight that can be made in the weight class.

Despite 155-pound champ Will Brooks (17-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) being a dominant titleholder with three defenses, Chandler (14-3 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) said the most significant matchup Bellator can book in the weight class has nothing to do with Brooks: it’s between himself and Josh Thomson (22-8 MMA, 2-0 BMMA).

“The fight between me and Josh is bigger than either one of us fighting Will Brooks,” Chandler told MMAjunkie. “That’s unfortunate for him, but that’s the way the division looks right now. I like Josh, I like the way he fights and we’ve already both said, ‘Hey this is going to happen. So let’s go out and make it happen and put on a show.'”

Thomson echoed similar sentiments after his victory at Bellator 147 earlier this month. He defeated Pablo Villaseca by second-round TKO in the main event to stay undefeated since he joined the organization earlier this year.

“The Punk” said it would be nice to have the chance to face Brooks and add Bellator gold to his resume along with a Strikeforce belt, but ultimately he feels his job is to service the fans, and he’s confident a fight with Chandler is the most appealing matchmaking option.

“I saw a couple messages of people who want me to fight Will Brooks, but more people have commented on me fighting Chandler,” Thomson said. “That lets you know that there’s fans that want to see certain fights, and that fight is going to be important. I want to make sure when we fight, it’s a good show and we draw in numbers. People want to see me fight Chandler.”

Chandler said if there were any time to book a fight with Thomson, it would be now. Both men are on two-fight Bellator winning streaks and have finished their opponents in those respective matchups.

“Iron” scored a second-round TKO over David Rickels at Bellator 145 in November. Each victory moves Chandler further from the three-fight losing skid he experienced in 2014 and helps rebuild his confidence. He said the win over Rickels provided validation of his improvements since a career low point.

“I do feel like I’m getting better, I’m getting more confident and that’s really what this is about; what I realized about this sport is the biggest opponent is yourself,” Chandler said. “Your goals should always be to outperform your previous self and I feel like I’m doing that. I got out of the rut I was in and now I’m on a two-fight winning streak and I feel like I’m the best lightweight in this division and I’m ready to go out there and prove it.”

Chandler won’t be able to prove it if he fights Thomson. Although the UFC, PRIDE and Strikeforce veteran arguably holds more name value than Brooks, there is only one championship belt and one way to prove deserving of the No. 1 spot.

Brooks already holds two victories over Chandler, but a third fight could potentially materialize in the future. Chandler said he eventually wants his shot at redemption, but he also knows Bellator is in the business of making big fights, and both he and Thomson agree that’s what they combine for.

“Hopefully I’ll hold the belt by the end of the (next) year; I’m in no rush,” Chandler said. “People are already calling for the title shot again, but if they give it to me they give it to me, and if they don’t they don’t.”

For more on the upcoming Bellator schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.