Michael Chandler reignites interest in Conor McGregor fight

Michael Chandler has announced his interest in running his saga back with Conor McGregor, hoping that this time it results in a fight.

The former Bellator lightweight kingpin made the switch over to the UFC in 2021, with his eyes on two things: championship gold and Conor McGregor. Having fought for the title, there was just one thing remaining. But despite agreements being struck and the pair being coaches on a season of The Ultimate Fighter, the fight never came to fruition. Many believe Chandler came to the UFC too late, missing out on his prime years inside the octagon. Alongside his late arrival, the collegiate wrestler missed two years of his career waiting for a fight with ‘The Notorious’ to materialize.

His career has since gone downhill, losing each of his last four outings. Now 40, Michael Chandler doesn’t have many years competing left. And even with his limited time, he is still chasing a Conor McGregor fight.

Believing the fight makes sense, Chandler shared an interest in reopening talks with McGregor, saying:

“I mean, I think, if you’re asking, does that fight make sense? I think so. I think it’s a fight that- he’s got one stain on his record, so to speak, right? Like, obviously, this one was a tough injury. We take injuries; that’s what happens. Him pulling out of that fight, which he has never done before in his entire career. You, me, the media, every fan had every reason to believe that that’s what Conor does: he shows up. He’s been injured before; he still shows up. So, that one was a tough pill to swallow for just the whole MMA landscape, as a whole. Not just myself.”

“But why shouldn’t it be me? Why shouldn’t it be me? But we’ll see how it plays out. We’ll see how he recovers. We’ll see if he comes back, when he comes back. It sounds like he’s going to…”

“I think that it’s a fight that he wants. I think that it’s a fight that makes sense.”