Even with Michael Chandler moving on from Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping believes there is still a chance that we could see the former Bellator champion throw hands with the Irish megastar.
After being tied to a scrap with McGregor for more than a year, Chandler is now set to return to the Octagon on Saturday, November 16 when the promotion makes its annual pit stop at Madison Square Garden in NYC. There, ‘Iron’ will run it back with former lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira.
The pair previously met at UFC 262 for the vacant 155-pound title. Chandler nearly finished things in the opening stanza before ‘Do Bronx’ stormed back in the second, landing a left hook that dropped ‘Iron’ leading to a TKO stoppage just 19 seconds into the round.
Sharing his take on the booking of Chandler vs. Oliveira 2, Bisping believes that there is still a path to seeing Michael Chandler face Conor McGregor, though it may require the Missouri native to go through the division’s top dog, Islam Makhachev.
“He’s stepping in against Charles Oliveira,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “We know this is a rematch. Of course, Chandler had some success in the first fight—he did hurt Oliveira, but he also got hurt himself. He got dropped, so this is a very relevant fight for Michael Chandler. It’s not the Conor McGregor matchup, but it is a fight that is relevant in the title picture.
“If Chandler can go out there, if he can beat Charles Oliveira, if he can get his hands on Islam Makhachev next, which is what he says he wants, and become the champion of the world, then he can get a fight with Conor McGregor down the line” (h/t MMA News).
Bisping believes the UFC will give McGregor a title shot if Michael Chandler demands it
Considering McGregor has lost three out of his last four inside the Octagon, it’s hard to imagine the UFC handing him a lightweight title opportunity anytime soon. But as ‘The Count’ says, money talks, and ‘Mystic Mac’ is known for bringing in a lot of dollars every time he steps onto MMA’s biggest stage.
“Even though Conor McGregor shouldn’t get a title fight and you’ll all say I’m crazy, the man is super popular, and numbers talk, right? Money talks, bullsh*t runs the marathon. If Chandler is the champ, and Chandler said that McGregor’s road back to the Octagon only goes through him, we could see Chandler vs. McGregor for the lightweight strap. But there’s a lot of ifs and buts.”
Are you still interested in seeing Chandler vs. McGregor happen at some point, or is it time for both fighters to move on and seek other opportunities?
