Michael Chandler had to move on from the long-anticipated signing of Conor McGregor to a fight with Charles Oliveira.
McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in a three-fight fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. “Notorious” will play Chandler’s rival coach on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” in 2023, and there are plans for a matchup between the two in the future.
After numerous delays, McGregor’s return schedule is finally set to headline UFC 303 this June. However, the Irishman was withdrawn two weeks before the match due to a toe injury. Meanwhile, Chandler has also not fought since his submission loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in 2022, mostly because he is waiting for a fight with McGregor.
Chandler will finally make his return to action in a rematch with Oliveira in the five-round co-headliner of UFC 309 on November 16th at Madison Square Garden in New York. ‘Iron’ recently revealed how he pulled out of the McGregor fight after waiting nearly two years. Chandler was certainly depressed for a while when his UFC 303 matchup was cancelled. But Chandler continued training, determined to get back into the fight, whether it was against McGregor or someone else.
UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic. Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Order now!
And while a fight against McGregor does promise a huge payday, Chandler believes a matchup with ‘De Bronx’ is the next best thing. Chandler also believes this match could be a title decider, or at least a big step back into title contention.
“I felt sorry for myself for a few days…I licked my wounds for a few days and then got back on the horse and continued training,” Chandler told New York Post Sports. “Because I knew that the fight with Conor was either going to be rebooked right away or it wasn’t going to be, and I was going to fight someone else. And now we have this opportunity, Charles -He has a big chance against Oliveira, the No. 1 contender’s fight, co-main event, Jon Jones vs. Stipe, 5 rounds. [card] At Madison Square Garden, the world’s most iconic arena. It’s not a Conor fight, but if I could think of the next best thing, it’s definitely this, and we’re working on a title shot right now. ”
Chandler has dropped three of his last four fights, including a submission loss to Oliveira in 2021, all of which came against elite competition. Oliveira, on the other hand, sandwiched a KO win over Beneil Darish between a title loss to Islam Makhachev and a split decision loss to Beneil Darish. Title Eliminator Arman Tsarukyan.
