Michael Chandler has been warned he should not be calling out Conor McGregor after suffering back-to-back defeats in the UFC.
The 35-year-old was narrowly beaten in a brutal war against Justin Gaethje at UFC 268 but earned plaudits for his brave performance.
And he has reiterated his desire to face McGregor next who is stepping up his recovery from a broken leg injury suffered in defeat to Dustin Poirier.
But former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson has questioned whether Chandler should be calling out McGregor after a second consecutive loss.
"I mean you brought up a good point. If you lost your last two, you shouldn't be calling out anybody," Thomson said on his Weighing In podcast. That's one. Two is Mike's like what 35?
"He is 35 years old. Let's say Conor comes back summer of next year, say sometime around September. You know that is when the fights start to ramp back up.
"I don't know who he (Chandler) is gonna fight between now and September. Then, he's got to get a win, that's for sure. I wasn't sh****** on Mike.
"I am just being honest with you guys. He fought stupid (against Gaethje). He's a really good fighter. He has just been known to not fight smart his whole career. But that's what makes him a fun fighter to watch. At this part of his career, he needs a win."
Chandler was knocked down in the middle stanza of his three-round defeat to Gaethje and has now missed out on a potential title shot.
But he was only marginally out-landed by Gaethje with the contest receiving the Fight of the Night award.
And the No.5 ranked contender called for a bout with McGregor before his defeat, being excited by the possibility of an "electrifying" duel.
It appears unlikely Chandler will face any immediate return to the cage after requiring 22 stitches to fix damage to his eyes and lip.
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McGregor agreed to face Chandler on social media at "some point" as he plots his own return to action next year.
And Chandler has since continued his call-out of McGregor alongside fellow UFC stars Max Holloway and Tony Ferguson, who have also issued a challenging plea to the Irishman.
UFC analyst Chael Sonnen opposed Thomson's verdict on the call by backing Chandler to face McGregor in a fight that would "make sense".
"Of course, you'd call him (Conor McGregor) out when nobody else is calling him out," Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. "Of course, you'd call him out when he doesn't have a contract or a date.
"Of course, you do. It made all the sense in the world after [Michael] Chandler did it. But it does make me have to ask the next question – a tough one – which is, 'Is this what Michael Chandler does now?'
"Interesting fights, fun fights, (but) not contendership or championship fights. I don't know that, just because he called out Conor McGregor, we have enough information to get to any conclusion there."
