Michael Chandler's latest Instagram story hinting at an opponent has fans intrigued: "This is really going to be interesting"

Michael Chandler has fans buzzing over an Instagram story he recently posted teasing a potentially meaningful matchup in the lightweight division. The former multi-time Bellator champion at 155 pounds highlighted in his Instagram post that his focus was on competing next in the Summer.

Despite misspelling the name of his desired octagon adversary, Chandler said:

"Chandler vs. Patty [Paddy Pimblett]?? #UFC 317 International Fight Week. 6/28/2025."

A screenshot of Chandler's Instagram story callout for this clash against Paddy Pimblett was posted to X via an account known as @mma_orbit. X users came out in droves to articulate their thoughts on this potential bout and a sizable tweet thread amassed thereafter.

@Nicekevvv said:

"This Is really going to be interesting, got Paddy for the win"

@themmaconvos stated:

"Paddy subs Chandler in 1"

@InYoSzn quipped:

"5 rounds?"

Check out more fan comments below:

[Screenshots courtesy: @mma_orbit on X]

Check out Michael Chandler teasing a possible Paddy Pimblett bout on International Fight Week below:

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Michael Chandler rules out potential BKFC future

Michael Chandler is focused on his next octagon assignment but does not seem to have any desire to drop the gloves someday in the bare-knuckle boxing world. Speaking to MMA Junkie Radio as to if a contest with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship would ever pique his interest, Chandler stated:

"Absolutely not. I think I've proven that I'm a tough guy. I think I can say absolutely not without risking people saying, 'This guy's soft.' I don't think I need to fight bare knuckle to prove how tough I am. Just go type my name in on YouTube or on UFC Fight Pass and you can see that I'm no softie."

The 38-year-old also mentioned that there's a certain brand of guy that goes over to bare-knuckle while they can still compete at the highest levels in MMA. But Chandler just mentioned he is not one of those guys.

The native of Missouri specifically mentioned that when he hangs up the gloves for the last time, it will be inside the UFC cage and then Chandler will never fight again. 'Iron' mentioned he was focused on his next UFC fight but did want to make a point that he was a fan of watching bare-knuckle boxing.

Some former opponents of Chandler's like Dave Rickels, Lloyd Mix, Brandon Girtz, Rick Hawn, and Eddie Alvarez have made the transition from MMA to BKFC to varying levels of success in that gloveless space.