Conor McGregor remains adamant that he’ll soon collide with Michael Chandler inside the Octagon.
It’s time for your monthly (weekly?) “update” on McGregor vs. Chandler, ladies and gentlemen. No, no, the fight is still not yet official per Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), but “The Notorious” Road House movie star has once again used some strong and confident verbiage.
“We got confirmation a few days ago that it’s all systems go,” McGregor told ESPN of his long-awaited match up with Chandler. “And ‘The Mac,’ ‘The Notorious’ will be returning to the UFC Octagon this summer.”
The saga between the pair of Lightweight staples has been ongoing since last year when they coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter 32 (TUF). After some United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) controversy, progress appeared to be made with McGregor’s re-entry into the testing pool.
McGregor, 35, claimed at the start of 2024 that he and Chandler had a Middleweight showdown set for International Fight Week on June 29. However, that was later denied by UFC CEO, Dana White, and redirected towards the end of the year.
Meanwhile, verbal jabs have been continually thrown at each man, and in Chandler’s case, he’s had big platforms to do so like World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) longstanding weekly program, Monday Night Raw.
“Shut up, Michael, you f—king imbecile,” McGregor said. “The man doesn’t shut up. I seen him on Raw. I like Mike — I’m gonna bust him up. I’m gonna bust Mike up, yeah? If I say it, I do it. If I say it, it gets done. Put that on my stone.”
Aside from wanting to return for the Chandler fight, McGregor has expressed interest in a trilogy fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 306 in The Sphere on Sept. 16, 2024. In terms of his long-term future, that remains a mystery.
“I think that’s an absolute perfection of a fight,” McGregor said of Diaz.
“Do we sign a new deal?” he continued. “Do I go? Am I a free agent? I love the UFC dearly. My heart is in the UFC — my catalog, my life. I love everyone in the company and all the fighters and all the events and all the shows and cards. I wish to continue this. How that looks [after], I have no clue.”