Chandler Defends Waiting For McGregor
Michael Chandler has defended his decision to wait for the Conor McGregor fight after fans felt he had wasted the best moments of his career.
Chandler has been chasing McGregor for some time after they first squared off against each other on the TUF 31 series. They competed as rival coaches, as Chandler got the better of McGregor on the team challenge. However, McGregor got his revenge with a win when it came to the individual coach’s challenge.
Chandler’s Last Fight
Chandler’s last appearance in the Octagon was in 2022, when he squared off against Dustin Poirier. However, Poirier came out on top in the UFC 281 clash. After this period, Chandler could have taken fights in between. He was linked with a UFC lightweight clash against Islam Makhachev. But Chandler chose to wait for McGregor, and his decision appeared to have paid off.
He was meant to fight McGregor at UFC 303 on June 29, but that never happened after the Irishman withdrew with a broken toe. There was speculation over whether they would fight again this year. Dana White has come out to say that McGregor will return early next year, which left Chandler with a decision to make. He chose to rematch Charles Oliveira, which will take place at UFC 309 on November 16. The outcome of any McGregor fight may depend on whether Chandler overcomes Olivera.
A win for Chandler may increase his incentive to push for a lightweight title shot rather than fighting McGregor. Alternatively, a defeat may reduce his enthusiasm for that fight, as the Irishman could pursue other alternatives. McGregor has spoken about wanting a trilogy with Nate Diaz and a fourth fight with Poirier.
Chandler’s decision to wait for the McGregor fight meant that he missed out on some of his best years. The 38-year-old has remained inactive for so long. Chandler also missed out on the opportunity to earn fight purses, which could come back to haunt him if he does not secure his financial future after his UFC career. Despite this being the case, Chandler justified his decision, as he was confident about facing McGregor in the future.
Chandler Reacts
“It’s really funny. You’ve had a thousand fighters sit here across from you and talk to you doing interviews and all of them who have said that I was Conor’s little whipping boy or I was waiting too long or I was wasting my career, every single one of them would have held onto this Conor fight even if they say publicly that they wouldn’t.
“Every single one of those guys wants this fight. I do think [he returns. Maybe I’ve just been so close to it and so focused on it that you just look at his history, Conor McGregor is a nothing, nobody without the sport of mixed martial arts. Without the UFC platform. Without the legacy that he has created. I believe he’s romantic about it. I believe that he loves the sport,” Chandler said
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