Michael Chandler remains confident that he will step inside the Octagon with Conor McGregor this summer.
It’s been more than a year since the UFC revealed that the Irish megastar’s first opponent since suffering a brutal leg break against Dustin Poirier would be the former Bellator MMA champion. Since then, the two have traded verbal jabs and even went toe-to-toe on the 31st season of the promotion’s long-running reality series, The Ultimate Fighter. Yet after all that, we still have no official date for their seemingly mythical matchup.
However, that hasn’t stopped both Chandler and McGregor from making bold claims about the bout. On New Year’s Eve, ‘Mystic Mac’ suggested that his quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sports history” would go down this summer during the UFC’s annual International Fight Week festivities in Las Vegas.
While UFC CEO Dana White has shied away from confirming McGregor’s statement, Michael Chandler backed up the former two-division titleholder’s words during a recent interview.
“You’re going to get to watch me fight Conor this summer,” Chandler told The Schmo. “It’s going to happen. I believe June is going to happen. Just stay tuned. We got UFC 299 now. UFC 300 is going to be fun, I’ll be at 300. Then you’ll have 301 and 302… Whatever they are and then me and Conor. I’m going to go out there and take his head off.
Michael Chandler Sits as a slight favorite against conor mcGregor
After the promotion’s massive UFC 300 card on April 13, the next two pay-per-view events are expected to emanate from Rio de Janeiro and Newark, New Jersey before returning to Sin City on June 29 for UFC 303 — the culmination of this year’s International Fight Week.
Despite a middling 2-3 record since making his promotional debut in January 2021, Michael Chandler remains one of the lightweight division’s most beloved fighters courtesy of his balls-to-the-wall style that has already delivered some instant classics against the likes of Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier.
Chandler’s two wins inside the Octagon came via a pair of spectacular knockouts against division fan favorites Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson.
He is currently listed as a slight favorite to come out on top against Conor McGregor, sitting at -130 while the Irishman holds at +110.
Who wins this summer in a potential fight: Michael Chandler or Conor McGregor?