Bellator 192's Michael Chandler is in the Michael Chandler business above all else

Michael Chandler might be up for title shot, but he cares more about the Michael Chandler business.

It has to be that way now, as the ex-Bellator lightweight champ sees things. He can’t wait for others. He has to forge his own path.

Thus, Chandler (16-4 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) won’t make predictions about how things will unfold in his lightweight division. He stopped trying to predict things after a freak accident left him without the title, and a seemingly guaranteed rematch was scuttled.

“It doesn’t really mean anything right now,” he told MMAjunkie in advance of his main-card fight with Goiti Yamauchi (22-3 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) at Bellator 192, which takes place Saturday at The Forum in Los Angeles and airs live on Paramount. “It needs me, I’ll say that much.

“But you’ve got a champion who refuses to defend the belt, for no other reason than he’s part-time fighter and he’s on maternity leave. You’ve got me, who’s the biggest name in the division by far, head and shoulders above everyone else.

“So it’s a precarious situation, and all I can focus on is Jan. 20. I could care less about the lightweight title.”

Bellator President Scott Coker gave Chandler a very good reason to care when he told “The MMA Hour” that the winner of his fight will receive a title shot against champ Brett Primus, who delayed his first title defense in advance of his child being born.

That would give Chandler a chance to avenge a very painful loss to Primus this past June. Chandler, attempting the second defense of his second go-around as lightweight champ, hadn’t really built any momentum when he injured his ankle and hobbled around the cage until a cageside doctor called off the fight.

Chandler assumed a rematch would be on the table when he healed. Instead, he was left hanging.

Now, he leaves the decision about the future of his career to this promoter. He could continue on at lightweight. Ultimately, though, he’s interested in moving up to welterweight regardless of what happens in his division. He wants big fights.

“It’s not up to me; let’s be honest,” he said. “Bellator are the promoters, and they’re very good at what they do. We’ll do this fight and see what’s next. There’s both opportunities.

“The other ‘Pitbull’ brother (Bellator featherweight champ Patricio Freire) has been talking trash, talking about decapitating me for the last couple of years, and he needs to get smacked around. So that’s a guy that’s smaller than me. And then there are guys that are supposedly bigger than me at 170; Paul Daley and some of those guys would be a phenomenal guys for me to go out and smash.”

For more on Bellator 192, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.