Fight fans were shocked when Conor McGregor decided to pull out of his fight against Michael Chandler and soon rumors about them dropping the fight altogether flooded the internet. Fortunately, Michael Chandler is not crying over spilled milk, as the former Bellator champ just revealed that he isn’t letting McGregor escape with a pinky toe injury and the fight will materialize much sooner than anticipated.
Speaking to popular MMA analyst, John Morgan during a special bottle signing event of his Hiatus line of Tequilas, Chandler addressed the bitter-sweet weekend and what could have been, saying,
“I’ll tell you what I do love to fight but I’m a very patient man and luckily my life is such that I’ve done so many things outside of just fighting that I was able to sit out and be patient, still got work outside of just fighting, stayed busy the last year and a half. We’re going to stay patient, we’re not going to let him off the hook…Talks are happening between me, and the UFC… I know Conor (McGregor) is going to be ready to come back soon, it’s just a pinky toe so we’ll see.”
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Patience is a virtue and Chandler certainly knows this. Despite the biggest fight of his career slipping away at the very last minute, the UFC lightweight isn’t letting the UFC 303 debacle get the best of him. Instead of looking for other fights, Chandler is staying on course, patient, and still in talks with the UFC. In fact, the fighter insisted that the fight was much closer than expected due to McGregor’s tenacity in dealing with injuries.
However, while Chandler is indicating a speedy rematch, UFC President Dana White has a difference of opinion.
Dana White clears the air on McGregor vs Chandler, mentioning the timeframe
Fans have been eagerly awaiting McGregor’s return ever since his last bout in 2021 against Dustin Poirier which ended with the Irishman breaking his leg. The wait was about to end at UFC 303, but an unprecedented injury pushed the timeline further back. Well, even though McGregor, much like Chandler, is citing a speedy return, Dana White recently hinted that the fandom might have to wait beyond October.
In an exclusive to Barstool’s Robbie Fox, the UFC head honcho was asked if we can expect a rescheduled McGregor vs Chandler this year anywhere between August to October. To which, White simply said,
“None of the above.”
To the dismay of fans, the McGregor vs Chandler fight will most probably take longer than usual and we can likely expect it by the end of this year or the beginning of the next. Still, this is all speculation, as neither the fighters nor the promotion has given a proper timeframe.
