Conor McGregor finally has a return date fixed. ‘The Notorious’ returns to action at UFC 303 after a three-year hiatus from the sport. Needless to say, his return will be one of the biggest events financially and in every other metric for the UFC. McGregor is the biggest star in the sport by a mile and everyone involved benefits from the Irishman headlining the event. Talking about the money aspect, his opponent Michael Chandler, also gave McGregor his due respect for bringing about such a major change in the sport.
Michael Chandler was in attendance at UFC 300 cage side. ‘Iron’ took time out of his day to appear in an interview with ‘The MacLife’. While speaking to Oscar Willis, he shared why he respects Conor McGregor and how major a change McGregor has brought about in the sport that did not exist before him. He said,
“He is at a different rung in the sport when it comes to what he has done and how he has revolutionised the game. How he has changed the game. Everyone is making more money, everyone has more eyeballs on them. Because of a guy like him who has trailblazed in a lot of ways. You’re an idiot and way too egotistical if you do not admit that about Conor McGregor has done for the sport. I have got a ton of respect for him.”
In the same interview, Chandler went on to add that, despite his respect, he has a job to do at UFC 303. The former title challenger stated that he envisions a finish against McGregor and promised to deliver fans an action packed fight come June end.
A prolonged wait for Conor McGregor finally comes to an end for Michael Chandler
‘Iron’ last fought at UFC 281 in November 2022. He lost the fight via submission to Dustin Poirier. Following the loss, Chandler had his eyes set on one name only: Conor McGregor. ‘Iron’ has been out of action for two years now. During that time, he has waited patiently as McGregor took his time to sign a contract.
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A number of pundits poked at Chandler for chasing a fight that might never take place. However, in recent interviews, Chandler stated that he had enough reassurances from the UFC to know that the fight will materialize. Now that the fight is finally official, Chandler’s wait of two years will finally pay off. He will most likely make the most money he has ever made in a single fight taking on Conor McGregor at UFC 303.
