Can we just get Michael Chandler back in the Octagon, please?
The last time Chandler fought in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was for his highly anticipated clash against Dustin Poirier at UFC 282 in November 2022. Unfortunately for Chandler, he lost the bout via a third round rear-naked choke (watch highlights) and has shelved himself for Conor McGregor ever since.
Chandler vs. McGregor has been in the works since early 2023 when the pair were assigned coaching duties on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31. Delay after delay eventually led the fight to be made official for UFC 303 this past June 2024. However, a McGregor broken pinky toe axed the fight and now Chandler continues to wait.
“I am an optimist by default, so I do believe the Conor fight will happen,” Chandler told Lucky Block. “Right now, we are in a period where things are being talked about. What date? Is it Conor? Is it pivoting to a different fight? Is it making the best decision for me and my family? I love the idea that Conor and I did The Ultimate Fighter, we had a training camp, we signed on the dotted line. But as much as I respect Conor, my legacy is not hinged upon this fight. I am running my own race, and I’m continuing to move forward. I am at the point now where we are looking at all of the options and not just fighting Conor. Things move fast, and the phone could ring at any time. I don’t want to make it sound like I’m not focused on fighting Conor, but right now when no contract is signed, I’m excited to fight. I’m training every day, and I’m in the best shape that I have been in a very long time, and I’m ready to go out there whether it’s Conor or someone else. There’s always going to be life after Conor if this fight never comes to fruition.
“The sentiment from Dana [White] doesn’t sound as bleak as a lot of people would think,” he continued. “It doesn’t sound as bleak as a lot of people would think, given Conor’s antics with the ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin vest and the drinking Forged Irish Stout at Bare Knuckle FC, but we’ll see. Either way, I’ve always felt that if the Conor fight didn’t happen I’m going to be just fine, and I will put butts in seats, and I will sell pay-per-views, and I will entertain the entire world when I step inside the Octagon.”
Chandler, 38, got off to such a hot start in his five-fight UFC stint (2-3, 23-8 overall) that it’s been tough for fans to see him sidelined by choice. Should the McGregor fight fall through once and for all, “Iron” does have ideas for who he might battle next. If it does happen, he expects December 2024 at the earliest.
“The most realistic option for me if you look at the landscape and you consider everything is Charles Oliveira,” Chandler said. “I love the rematch with Charles. I think it’s a great fight to get the fans pumped up. I almost had him finished in the first round, and then I made a glaring mistake in the second round that I would never, ever make again. It was almost a self-fulfilling prophecy that I was working on in camp that turned out to be my demise. Me and Charles for the number one contender spot. I beat Charles, knock him out in the first round, then all of a sudden I’m sitting at the number one contender spot, and I get to choose whether I fight Islam [Makhachev], or do I fight Conor next? And why not both?
“Obviously, you’ve got rematches with Dustin Poirier, Islam is up in the air right now with a possible hand injury, so there’s that possible interim title shot against Arman Tsarukyan,” he continued. “It’ll be interesting to see what happens with that title fight. It sounds like it’s not going to happen in October anymore, so that could be later in this year in December, or there might need to be an interim title happening, so obviously I would be open to that. I by no means think I deserve that. Everybody will misconstrue it and say, ‘Oh, man, he wants a title shot.’ I’m just saying it’s a fun fight.”
Chandler’s second fight saw him challenge for the vacant Lightweight title opposite Oliveira in May 2021. He lost the bout via second round technical knockout.