As far as free agents go, former Bellator champion and longtime 155-pound standout Michael Chandler could soon become a hot property.

Chandler (18-4 MMA, 15-4 BMMA), who’s fresh off a first-round submission win over Brandon Girtz (15-8 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) in Bellator 197’s main event, recently told MMAjunkie Radio that his Bellator deal “ends very soon.”

And while Chandler, who’s an honorable mention in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, is happy with Bellator (where he’s fought since 2010) and says the company has always “done right” by him (and vice versa), he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a new home.

The 31-year-old made a quick splash in MMA after winning NCAA Division I All-American honors as the University of Missouri’s former wrestling-team captain. Now, deep in his MMA career and on a 6-1 run, he’s one of the current faces of Bellator.

But, will it stay that way? For example, PFL (the rebranded/relaunched WSOF) is gearing up for an ambitious 2018 campaign that includes $1 million season-long tournaments, and the rosters feature some very notable names. Could those potentially big paydays and deep tourney fields garner Chandler’s attention? He considered it while the MMAjunkie Radio hosts showed him the list of lightweight-tourney entrants.

“Yeah, I could come in here and wreck shop and hop out, I guess,” he said.

Ultimately, though, Chandler suggested he won’t be convinced of the organization’s viability until tourney winners actually have their checks deposited. Still, as a former Xtreme Couture regular who knows PFL President Ray Sefo well, Chandler said it’s impressive to see the vet’s vision come closer to reality.

“Honestly, I think everything is a silly idea until proven otherwise,” he said of PFL’s tourney lineup. “I think – the cool thing is I’ve heard Ray Sefo talk about this ever since … the Xtreme Couture days a long time ago. So, it’s cool to kind of see it come to fruition.”

Still, though, Chandler remains committed to Bellator, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s unable to fight elsewhere. Sure, the UFC could always be an option, as well. But take, for instance, the Japanese-based Rizin FF promotion, which has ties to Bellator and company president Scott Coker.

“I have told Bellator to send me over to Rizin, man,” Chandler said. “I want to do one of those Rizin shows.

“One day after one of my fights, (Rizin FF founder Nobuyuki Sakakibara), he’s like, ‘I want to have you come fight in Japan. They would love you.’ I was like, ‘Absolutely.’

“I forget, I retired Akihiro Gono too back in the day, so I’ve got a little bit of a Japanese following. But I don’t know. I’m always looking for ways to stay active.”

Regardless of what his immediate future holds, Chandler is simply relieved to have options.

“Either way, 2018 is a great time to be part of mixed martial arts,” he said.

For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.