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Michael Chandler has just spent two years sitting on the sidelines for a Conor McGregor fight that never materialized. That’s longer than many fighters are out with career altering knee injuries, but “Iron Mike” still claims the time off was a blessing and he has no regrets.
Chandler will now fight Charles Oliveira in November at UFC 309, a rematch of their 2021 fight at UFC 262 — a fight that Chandler lost via second round TKO. It’s an extremely tough comeback fight for the former Bellator champion, and there’s been talk of Mac and Mike still fighting in early 2025 should he beat “Do Bronx.”
So how does Chandler feel about the situation as it stands now? “Dumb?” Nah.
“Water under the bridge. I knew all along it was a long shot,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) when someone mentioned McGregor ‘ducking’ him. “I took the time to calibrate and plan this Chandler 2.0 season.”
While McGregor has been extremely busy promoting movies and booze and doing everything but fighting, Chandler has been in the gym working hard for the red panty night that turned out to be more of a chastity belt. He got within weeks of a fight against “The Notorious” in June at UFC 303, only to have Conor withdraw from the fight with a broken pinky toe. Now he has no return date, and no opponent lined up.
“Lost nothing. Gained more than you know. See you in Nov,” Chandler wrote in another tweet.
The loss to Oliveira in 2021 kicked off a 1-3 skid for Chandler that also featured a decision loss to Justin Gaethje and a submission loss to Dustin Poirier, with a KOTY win over Tony Ferguson sandwiched in-between.
What will Chandler 2.0 look like in the cage since his last fight in November 2022? He’ll have to be in top form to beat an incredibly tough and motivated Charles Oliveira, who is looking to bounce back from a tepid UFC 300 split decision to Arman Tsarukyan in April.
And then win or lose, Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler in February?
“I think it’s a fight that he wants,” Chandler told MMA Junkie recently. “It’s obviously the fight that I want. As I said, Conor McGregor is not my next opponent, but I am Conor McGregor’s next opponent.”