Michael Chandler is done waiting around and has reminded Conor McGregor of the fight they’ve been talking about for almost two years now.
After a canceled bout with McGregor last year at UFC 303, and a loss to Charles Oliveira that followed this year, Chandler has shifted his focus back to The Notorious as he continues to call for their showdown.
Chandler was initially supposed to face McGregor after the two coached on The Ultimate Fighter, but the fight never happened due to McGregor pulling out due to a broken toe.
Chandler was then advised by the multitudes of experts in the UFC to give up on his ‘pipe dreams’ and move on to other fights. And so he did.
Or it appeared so for about 3 months, and 5 rounds of one fight. After being thrown around by Oliveira for four rounds, Chandler, in a last-ditch attempt stood up with him on his shoulders. It made no difference as he lost the fight convincingly. But the show of strength allowed him to issue one more call out to the Irishman.
It has been almost a month to the day, but the call-out hasn’t resulted in anything concrete. So, in what seems to be desperation, Chandler took to social media to express his frustration, reminding McGregor of the promise they made to each other on TUF.
“Remember in the cold tub doing the TUF coaches’ challenge you said I’d be your 20th?
Remember in the cold tub doing the TUF coaches’ challenge you said I’d be your 20th? Show up and try me @TheNotoriousMMA https://t.co/x7iiogUF7U
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) December 10, 2024
It seems the ball has been played to McGregor’s side of the court again. Or has it been there all this time? After all, Chandler’s been the one doing the callouts every few weeks.
Well, as it turns out, his prayers have seemingly been answered. ‘The Notorious‘ has ‘confirmed’ that he will be fighting Chandler next.
McGregor claims Chandler fight still on
Earlier in the day, McGregor responded to Chandler and claimed that their fight was still on. The Irishman even tagged UFC president Dana White in the tweet, further fueling the speculation that the bout is back on track.
“It’s you! Rest up and I’ll see you at the top. @danawhite #ManOfWord”
It’s you! Rest up and I’ll see you at the top. @danawhite #ManOfWord https://t.co/OJHhvqhicu
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 10, 2024
However, if Chandler should take this as confirmation is another thing. For starters, White has claimed that McGregor will fight in the latter half of 2025. So there’s a lot of time between now and then.
And if history has taught us anything in the last 3 years, it’s that unless McGregor walks into the octagon, there’s nothing holding him to his words.
