"No one submits Michael Chandler!" - Big John McCarthy feels Michael Chandler would be the perfect first opponent at 155 for Brian Ortega

While discussing the possibility of Brian Ortega making the step up to lightweight, John McCarthy insisted that Michael Chandler would be his ideal fighter to welcome 'T-City' into the division.

The featherweight was forced out of his highly anticipated clash against Yair Rodriguez due to an injury in the first round last weekend, but he remains one of the top 145ers on the planet. Although his next move is unclear, the one-time UFC title challenger has hinted at a potential increase in weight.

During an episode of Weighing In Extra, John McCarthy claimed that while Brian Ortega had "unfinished business" at 145lbs, he would like the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert to eventually make the move up:

"He's got unfinished business at 45 [featherweight], but eventually, he's gonna go to 55 [lightweight]... There comes a point where it becomes almost a bad thing for you to try to lose that much weight. Brian Ortega can compete with anybody at 155, he will do well, [and] someday he's gonna go there."

Despite his lightweight debut being purely speculative, Chandler would be a tough beginning test for the 31-year-old, claims 'Big' John McCarthy:

"If I was gonna pick one fight right off of the bat, I would love to see him and Michael Chandler. No one submits Michael Chandler, I'd like to see if Brian Ortega could."

Check out what John McCarthy and Josh Thomson had to say about Ortega's future in the UFC in the video below:

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What's next for Michael Chandler?

Chandler just shook the world with his second-round front-kick knockout of Tony Ferguson. While he still has title aspirations in the UFC, who will we see 'Iron' fight next?

As the lightweight division is mostly booked up, there are only a handful of realistic options out there for the former Bellator 155lb champion. The No.5-ranked 36-year-old has been angling for a 'dream' fight with Conor McGregor, but the Irishman is still inactive after his gruesome leg snap last year.

With Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev booked to fight for the vacant lightweight strap, and the tough Beneil Dariush scheduled to face rising star Mateusz Gamrot, there are a small selection of options available for the NCAA Division I wrestler.

The feud between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier looks like the most likely fight for the UFC to announce next. However, following his knockout of Rafael dos Anjos, Rafael Fiziev is another option for the veteran.