Former MMA referee John McCarthy did not mince his words when analyzing UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler’s latest setback inside the Octagon.
Chandler returned from a two-year layoff earlier this month, running it back with former champion Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of the UFC 309 pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden.
After an unsuccessful wait to share the cage with Conor McGregor, “Iron” finally moved on and set his sights on redemption opposite “Do Bronx,” who previously knocked him out in 2021.
But the former Bellator champion ultimately failed in that pursuit, suffering a lopsided unanimous decision defeat after five rounds of mostly dominance from Oliveira in New York City.
With the result, Chandler has now lost two straight and four of his six UFC fights. And that’s left one prominent figure in the sport giving a grim outlook on the 38-year-old’s status on MMA’s biggest stage.
During an episode of his Weighing In podcast alongside former UFC fighter Josh Thomson, McCarthy reflected on Chandler’s convincing defeat to Oliveira, which saw the Brazilian experience little adversity until a late surge from the American in round five.
The former referee and Bellator commentator compared him with another veteran fighter in Tony Ferguson, who has lost eight straight since his last victory in 2019.
“Michael Chandler has hit Tony Ferguson status. Just being honest,” McCarthy said. “Who’s he going to beat? He looked slow at times. You want to talk about looking slow, you cannot look slow in the lightweight division. You’re gonna die. And he got outwrestled by a jiu-jitsu guy.
“Michael Chandler got crushed. I mean, just crushed,” McCarthy continued. “The two years (away) showed that not only did Michael Chandler not improve as a fighter, but he declined, and he watched his career start to expire. … I like Michael Chandler as a person, and I think he’s great for the sport…(but) he’s calling out Conor McGregor after losing again — what the hell?! You can’t do that!”
Should Chandler get his wish in 2025, he may be departing the 155-pound division next time out.
During his post-fight Octagon interview, “Iron” once again called out McGregor despite his past failure to secure the lucrative fight. Should that finally come to fruition in the new year, it stands to reason that it would take place at welterweight.
Oliveira, meanwhile, has his eyes on regaining the ultimate prize. He’s widely expected to challenge the winner of Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan’s championship rematch, which is reportedly in the works for UFC 311 in Los Angeles early next year.