Islam Makhachev is not interested in fighting Michael Chandler, who claims he’s been offered a crack at the lightweight crown.
That’s because Chandler is waiting for Conor McGregor to return from injury and would likely bail on their 155-pound title fight in favor of a “Notorious” payday, leaving Makhachev scrambling for a replacement on short notice.
“You are unreliable,” Makhachev wrote on Twitter. “One tweet from your master and you’ll run away. Champ needs real opponent.”
It also doesn’t help that Chandler is coming off a loss.
Makhachev recently secured a fifth-round submission victory over former interim champion Dustin Poirier atop the UFC 302 pay-per-view (PPV) card just a few weeks back. His most likely opponent will be streaking lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan in October.
There’s talk of having McGregor, currently nursing a broken pinky toe, return as early as August, though a headliner at The Sphere — expected to be the greatest combat sports event in history — is more probable, based on Dana White’s never-ending hyperbole.