Chandler Mocks McGregor-Yan Face-Off; McGregor Warns Makhachev At Live Boxing Event
In the latest MMA news, Michael Chandler has hit out at Conor McGregor for facing off against Petr Yan.
McGregor was in Dubai last weekend as he appeared at the IBA Champions’ Night boxing event. During that process, McGregor squared off against Yan in a bizarre moment. Yan recently pulled out of his fight with Song Yadong on December 9th, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 233 as Chris Gutierrez stepped in. Therefore, facing Yan was impossible since he is also a bantamweight.
McGregor Vs. Yan
The incident irked Chandler since he has been waiting an age to fight McGregor. The two were first linked with a fight after appearing as rival coaches on the TUF 31 series. In the aftermath, McGregor’s failure to enrol in USADA within the timeframe meant that a fight failed to happen in 2023.
The rules require that fighters provide two negative samples over six months before they can compete. Now that McGregor has entered the testing pool, a fight is likely for next year. But since McGregor has failed to promote the possibility of it, Chandler has been left feeling frustrated. After all, Chandler saw it as just an attempt for McGregor to keep his name in the headlines.
Chandler Reacts
“Looking for a 135er or preferably a 125er to face off with, on camera, at an obscure event…any takers? I need relevancy,” Chandler said
At the same time, McGregor was caught up in an incident involving Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammate Islam Makhachev. The latter is the current lightweight champion, beating Alexander Volkanovski in his last fight. McGregor is well aware of the threat that Makhachev could pose, given his experience with Nurmagomedov.
The Russian dominated the fight with McGregor, making the Irishman tap in the third round. In the aftermath of the fight, a brawl broke out between both camps in the octagon. With that being said, it seems that McGregor still had some frustrations over the loss as he responded to some taunts coming from Makhachev’s camp. In response, McGregor told Makhachev that he was ready to fight.
McGregor Vs. Makhachev
“You know me, you know me. I’m ready to go anywhere. Here and now I’m ready,” McGregor stated
This naturally begs the question: Will a fight happen? Well, Makhachev’s coach, Javier Mendez, was open to the idea of a fight. But he did question whether it would help Makhachev’s legacy, given that McGregor is no longer the same fighter after the Khabib loss.
“It would be interesting for Islam, because he gets to do what Khabib didn’t finish. He gets to come back and get on the same journey Khabib did, and it’s a great payday for Islam. I think it’s great if Islam wants it. If he doesn’t, then maybe going for the welterweight title is more appealing to him to create a legacy he wants. ‘Cause beating Conor is not gonna create the kind of legacy that Islam wants,” Mendez revealed
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