"Pray for a merciful ref" - Michael Chandler promises to beat Tony Ferguson 'from bell to bell'

A new rivalry has emerged in the UFC lightweight division after Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson went at each other on social media.

Tony Ferguson fired the first shot when he claimed on Twitter that a matchup between himself and Michael Chandler was in the works. Things got heated when 'El Cucuy' accused Chandler of "trying to delay" the fight by continuously angling for a matchup with McGregor.

At that point, Chandler responded by issuing an ominous warning to the former interim UFC lightweight champion. Chandler wrote:

"Oh Tony. There’s only a handful of guys in this game I truly respect...you’re one of them. Only because of your tenure, not your stature or your current presence in the division. I’ll beat you from bell to bell. Pray for a merciful ref. We shall see if this fight happens."

Chandler and Ferguson are coming off multiple-fight losing streaks. However, the losses they suffered appear to have different impacts on their respective careers.

Despite going 1-2 in 2021, Michael Chandler's stock is at an all-time high after putting on highly-competitive performances against Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. His three-round battle with Gaethje was awarded Fight of the Year honors, while his clash with Oliveira was for the vacant lightweight title.

Meanwhile, Tony Ferguson appears to be on the decline as is evident in his lopsided losses to Gaethje, Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. Ferguson was once on an impressive 12-fight winning streak, but is currently winless since 2019.

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Tony Ferguson claims Michael Chandler benefited from 'Dana White priviledge'

This isn't the first time Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler have butted heads. Ferguson once called out Chandler for enjoying "Dana White privilege" or preferential treatment from the UFC brass.

During the UFC 262 press conference, Ferguson criticized Chandler for receiving a title opportunity despite having just one UFC fight on his resume. He said:

"You f***ing dodged me too, Chandler – you’re a b****. Every person out here except this guy [Charles Oliveira], that’s sitting next to me. I’m going to be real. You f***ing said no, I’m going to be real. You got this sh*t handed to you. You got Dana White privilege."

Tony Ferguson calls out Michael Chandler: