Michael Chandler might want to reconsider his post-UFC 309 plans. After a gutsy performance in his last fight, Chandler has made it clear he still hopes to face Conor McGregor. But Ali Abdelaziz isn’t buying it.
Abdelaziz instead offered Chandler a more realistic option, pointing him toward a retired opponent (Jorge Masvidal) who could still bring fireworks to the octagon. While Chandler remains fixated on McGregor, Abdelaziz’s comments serve as a harsh dose of reality.
Chandler offered his Twitter followers a ‘ Q&A’ session while in the hyperbaric chamber. And one of the most asked questions had a McGregor angle to it.
would you rather fight Jorge who is coming back in 2025 or wait for Conor?
— Bellator zorroz (@BZorroz) December 3, 2024
The former Bellator champion replied, saying, “Conor then Jorge.” Clearly, he still holds on to hope that one day McGregor will sign on the dotted lines and he will get his money fight.
Of course, once Abdelaziz came across the tweet, he hit back by reminding of McGregor’s circumstances.
“Hey you know Conor is not coming back”
But being a manager, he also offered Chandler another viable and just as entertaining an option.
Hey you know Conor is not coming back but @GamebredFighter said he will fight you, call your boss Champ https://t.co/I6INpaqLNT
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) December 4, 2024
The former BMF champ recently shared on the Fight Back podcast that he’s set to return in April 2025 on a card in Miami. While his opponent hasn’t been finalized, Masvidal hopes to have that locked in by December.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Chandler actually proposed a fight to Masvidal and the latter accepted it.
Say word and it’s go April Miami
— Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) December 3, 2024
But how does this work?
How does Chandler vs Masvidal play out?
UFC president Dana White will first have to sign off on the deal. But for that to happen, Chandler will have to officially agree to it. Considering Masvidal’s response, it’s clear that the matter is in the air. And while he is willing to run to fight the striker, there are still many a problem to resolve.
For starters, Masvidal is a welterweight. At 40, with four back-to-back losses and a comeback from retirement seems like a tall task. It is highly unlikely he would want to cut his weight down to 145 lbs to fight Chandler at lightweight.
This means, Chandler has about 5 months to bulk up to 175 lbs, which effectively puts him out of commission at lightweight for a majority if not the entirety of the year. And given that he’s been talking about going after that elusive title shot, this puts him in a bit of a conundrum.
All that said, if the fight does come to pass, expect an A-rated gore fest. Both Masvidal and Chandler are strikers, who like swinging from the get-go. Neither is a fan of takedown, so this fight will most likely be on the feet for however many rounds they agree to fight for.
As for who the betting favorite will be, we will just have to wait for Father Time to reveal that.
