UNCASVILLE, Conn. – With the hours counting down to Bellator 243, Michael Chandler is on the verge of free agency.

Despite 2018 reports stating Chandler (20-5 MMA, 17-5 BMMA) had explored other options, he told MMA Junkie on Wednesday the post-Bellator 243 dive into free agency exploration will be a first for him.

“I never actually became a free agent,” Chandler said. “It was reported wrong in the media. I’ve never been a free agent. This will be the first time in my career I’ll be a free agent.”

Chandler, 34, has competed for Bellator for almost a decade. One of the faces of their promotion, Chandler has held championship gold on several occasions, had a pair of fights with Eddie Alvarez which put the company on the map, and set numerous promotional records.

As a result, Chandler doesn’t have his sights set on any particular Bellator opponent beyond the task in front of him Friday, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

“I’m not really worried about whatever happens after this fight,” Chandler said. “This a big fight for me and an important fight for me. I’m a free agent after this fight. As soon as I get done with this, we’ll speak to Bellator. We’ll see if we can come to an agreement and we’ll go from there.

“So I’m not worried about (Bellator lightweight champion) Patricio (Freire). I’m not worried about the title. I’ve held the title three times. I’ve got four of those things sitting on my mantle at home. It means a ton to me to be the Bellator champion. Does it pain me that I’m not the Bellator champion? Of course, it does, but the next best thing is the next best thing for me. It’s winning the fight and then seeing what happens next.”

Chandler said he’s not worried about how things will play out after this week. Chandler, whose social media pages sports hundreds of thousands of followers, said he knows his worth and his popularity. A day doesn’t go by where Chandler doesn’t feel the public interest.

“This is the fight business,” Chandler said. “This is the hurt business. At the end of the day, I truly believe in my skillset. I truly believe in myself. I believe in what I bring to the table. I’d be just as happy with (any) of 10 scenarios. I’d be just to happy as to already have signed a new deal with Bellator and do a 10-fight deal – retire here at Bellator, get job at the desk with ‘Big John’ and those guys and be a part of the family for the next couple of decades.

“I also am not afraid to take a chance on this fight and take a gamble on myself. I know my worth. I know there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t get reached out to by thousands and thousands of people about the exciting matchups they want to see out there in the world. For me, it’s just business as usual. Friday night, I’ve got to go out there and get my hand raised. That’s what I’m going to do.”

Knowing the stakes, Chandler acknowledged the added pressure of fighting out your contract. His fight vs. Henderson (28-8 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) could increase or decrease his worth based on the outcome.

“Every performance, every time we go out there, we’re laying it on the line,” Chandler said. “Not only are we laying our physical bodies on the line, we’re laying our paycheck on the line, (and) our world ranking on the line. The future of my family (and) the legacy that I want to leave is always on the line. For me, I’ve done nothing but train extremely hard like I’m trying to be the best lightweight in the world. It doesn’t matter if I’m becoming a free agent or I have 10 fights left on my career.”