Chandler Doesn’t Expect McGregor To Fight Again -‘I Wouldn’t Put Money On It’
Michael Chandler does not expect Conor McGregor to fight ever again in the UFC.
Chandler has been linked with the McGregor fight for some time. Their rivalry began on the TUF 31 series. Chandler won the team challenge, while McGregor got his victory in the individual coach’s challenge. They agreed to face each other at UFC 303 on June 29 last year. But McGregor withdrew after suffering a broken toe. It was a major setback, as he has not been in the Octagon since 2021.
That was when he broke his leg in his defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. That was the third loss out of McGregor’s last four fights.
He is no longer the fighter that once became a dominant two-weight UFC champion. McGregor still has two fights left on his UFC contract. This has prevented him from taking bouts in boxing or in BKFC. Reports indicated that McGregor was in talks to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition. Both fighters could have earned $250 million each. McGregor has also said he wants to fight in BFKC, where he is a part-owner. He mentioned a possible fight against Jeremy Stephens after the latter stopped Eddie Alvarez. They even had a face-off in the ring.
Chandler On McGregor
Neither of those plans failed to deliver a fight. This has left serious question marks over whether McGregor will return to Chandler. Chandler, in the meantime, had a fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. It was a rematch of their first clash which Oliveira won. Charles got another victory, meaning that Chandler only has two wins from his six UFC fights. Chandler will now face Paddy Pimblett in his next fight as he seeks to end that poor run of form. Chandler does not see The Notorious taking a step towards a return.
“Conor is always a part of [my conversations with the UFC] man. His road back to the UFC goes through me… That is the UFC’s sentiment, and I believe that’s his sentiment… My heart of hearts says Conor is coming back at some point. But, if I’m a betting man, if I’m using my brain, I wouldn’t put money on it. But that’s where I’m at today, right now, I’m focused on a blonde dude from Liverpool.
“So, my heart of hearts says I’m not sure, for sure. He has to come back to his first love… Every single thing that he has can be tied back, in some way or another, to the UFC, the opportunity that they gave him. Does he want this legacy to be, my last fight I broke my leg and touted the greatest comeback in combat sports history? Fooled everybody for a couple of years and then signed on the dotted line to fight Michael Chandler and then pulled out of the fight… [But], if I was a betting man, I ain’t putting money on [him fighting again],” Chandler said
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