McGregor FORGOTTEN

Michael Chandler has been waiting to fight Conor McGregor since wrapping up their respective coaching duties on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31. Unfortunately, “Notorious” was unable to get back into the cage in 2023 because United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) first required him to pass a battery of drug tests.

Now Chandler is hoping McGregor can get cleared to return in time for the UFC 300 pay-per-view (PPV) event in April and has been using his social media channels to poke fun at the power-punching Irishman. That includes a dig at his recent documentary, “McGregor Forever,” which centered on his return to mixed martial arts (MMA).

“Imagine saying it, ‘the greatest comeback in combat sports history’ and then doing a whole sham of a documentary about it and then never coming back,” Chandler wrote. “McGregor FORGOTTEN.”

Chandler then went to war with defensive McGregor fans on Twitter.

Former UFC heavyweight champion and current color commentator Daniel Cormier, who also does MMA analysis for ESPN, is fed up with the drama.

“This whole thing is just like a soap opera… a mixed martial arts soap opera,” Cormier told his YouTube followers (transcribed by MMA News). “Mike has been constantly chasing Conor. It is to the point now where — I don’t like saying this, because Chandler’s one of my buddies — it’s almost desperate to fight Conor McGregor. Because, at every single step, he has agreed, he has said, ‘Okay,’ he has made concessions. He has almost agreed and done anything he possibly can to ensure that fight still happens. McGregor, for his part, keeps playing him to the left.”

“I only believe he’s doing that and is comfortable doing that because of the behaviors that Mike is showing,” Cormier continued. “Mike keeps showing him that regardless of what he gives him, he’s going to accept it. Mike just keeps accepting this behavior. At some point, Chandler’s gonna have to say, ‘To hell with it, I’m moving on.’ … It (the fight) ain’t gonna happen… Publicly state that you are not desperate for this fight. Right now, you’ve essentially given him (McGregor) all the power.”

Considering the revenue a McGregor fight generates, it’s probably in Chandler’s best interest to sit on the sidelines for however long it takes. Hopefully the promotion can have some answers on McGregor’s return in the coming weeks, if not sooner.