McGregor Says He Still Wants Chandler
Conor McGregor has said that he still plans to fight Michael Chandler sometime next year.
McGregor pulled out of his UFC 303 clash against Chandler, set for June 29 after breaking his toe. The news meant that he had not had a UFC fight since 2021, when Dustin Poirier defeated him at UFC 264. The defeat was his third out of his last four UFC fights, compounded by his broken leg. Chandler has since then agreed to rematch Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. Michael has said that he still aims to fight McGregor at some point next year, but that could all depend on the outcome of the Oliveira rematch. A win for Chandler will take him closer to getting a lightweight title shot.
Chandler is 38 and has only had five UFC fights, meaning time is running out to secure his legacy in the sport. A loss against Oliveira could derail the plans for the McGregor fight. McGregor could turn his attention elsewhere if Chandler looks ordinary in that fight. He has repeatedly spoken about wanting a third fight with Nate Diaz and a fourth Poirier fight.
McGregor was in attendance to watch Anthony Joshua take on Daniel Dubois. Dubois stopped Joshua in the fifth round to retain his IBF Heavyweight Title. During the event, Ariel Helwani asked McGregor about his plans. The Irishman doubled down on his belief that he would return to fighting since he does have two fights left on his UFC deal. And he was still hopeful of facing Chandler next year.
McGregor Reacts
“It will be 2025. It is what it is. I just take it on board and just rock on. And my job is just to be in the gym, be in the gym, be in shape. One thing is for sure: whenever it is, and wherever it is, I will be 100 percent ready. That’s all I can focus on right now. Man, who knows now? It does not matter. I’d like it to be Chandler; I’d like that to be squared away. I wish him well against Oliveira, but let’s see how it goes,” McGregor said
Outside of his own career, McGregor had plenty to say about the Joshua-Dubois result. During the pre-fight build-up, McGregor expressed his reason for attending. He was clear that he wanted to see a stadium fight up close to get a feel of it. Joshua has had numerous memorable nights, beating Wladimir Klitschko in a packed Wembley crowd.
McGregor On Joshua
It was clear that McGregor was invested in the fight, with fans reacting to his animated behavior. Dubois would ultimately pull off an upset win, leaving question marks over where Joshua goes next. Joshua has said that he will continue to fight, although it is unclear who his next opponent will be. McGregor reacted to the result and backed Joshua to bounce back.
“See, AJ is… AJ is number one. This is a stadium show here in AD, and he’s a legend forever. Sure. He had… he smacked him back, he stood his ground and smacked him back. And then he went forward and got caught. It’s only boxing. You get caught; you catch someone. Of course, he can come back for sure,” McGregor stated
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