PHOENIX – Tony Ferguson no longer finds “Dana White privilege,” a phrase he coined last year, to be funny, but that doesn’t mean Michael Chandler can’t have fun with it.
Ferguson (25-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) came up with it during the UFC 262 pre-fight press conference where both he and Chandler were competing on the same card. Ferguson was referencing big opportunities the UFC handed Chandler upon his arrival from Bellator as he faced Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in just his second octagon bout.
Now, Ferguson and Chandler (22-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will go from simply sharing a card to sharing the cage Saturday in the UFC 274 pay-per-view main card, but Ferguson is less than jovial heading into this bout. He took aim at the UFC and its treatment of him and appears to be taking his own coined phrase personally.
Chandler’s response? He’ll happily own that statement.
“I’m sorry, Tony, but that ‘Dana White privilege’ line might be the funniest thing that has ever been said on a microphone in the context of mixed martial arts,” Chandler told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s media day. “He’s right. I am his boss’ favorite fighter. I’m Dana’s favorite fighter. Dana White privilege is not on the line here, I’ve already got it, and it’s all fun.”
Although Ferguson appears to have a chip on his shoulder, Chandler said there’s no bad blood between the two. With Ferguson on a three-fight skid and Chandler a loser in back-to-back fights, both men are eager to get back into the win column. Chandler doesn’t plan on holding back.
“I saw him after the press conference. It’s all respect,” Chandler added. “He’s gonna go out there and try and take my head off, and I’m gonna do the exact same thing, but when it comes to animosity, I got no animosity towards him. He’s all business. Is it true? Is it blunder? Is it just words? Is it lip service? We don’t know. All I know is he’s gonna run into a buzzsaw Saturday night, and my ‘Dana White privilege’ is not gonna make a difference no matter what.”
UFC 274 takes place Saturday at Footprint Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
