It’s been far too long since Michael Chandler fought.
The former three-time Bellator Lightweight champion has been patiently waiting to welcome former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) titlist, Conor McGregor, back to mixed martial arts (MMA). However, that match up has yet to come to fruition despite one official attempt for UFC 303 in June 2024.
Unfortunately, a broken pinky toe for McGregor caused his withdrawal from the International Fight Week main event. Therefore, Chandler has been sidelined since November 2022.
“I’m not gonna ever play the victim,” Chandler said on Beat The Heat. “I’m not gonna sit here and say, ‘Hey, man. I’ve been out of the game for this long. I got a wife and two kids. I got businesses. I got all this stuff.’
“It’s more just with all due respect, I’m ready to put you behind me,” he continued. “I’m ready to put you flat on your back in the middle of an Octagon, wherever it is, hopefully, Las Vegas, Nevada, and I can walk out of that Octagon and never have to think about you again. I can just ride the coattails of the eyeballs that were there that night.”
Chandler and McGregor have both speculated and called for a rebooking in December 2024. Although they’re optimistic that it can happen, UFC CEO, Dana White, has claimed McGregor won’t fight in 2024.
The fight between Chandler and McGregor would presumably still take place in the Welterweight division as it was planned for UFC 303. A 170-pound return would see Chandler in the weight class for the first time since his professional debut in August 2009. McGregor, on the other hand, last fought at 170 pounds when he defeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone via a 40-second technical knockout (head kick and punches) at UFC 246 in January 2020. The win was McGregor’s last in the sport (22-6).