Michael Chandler isn’t giving up on his hopes of securing a main-event fight with Conor McGregor.
The UFC fighter made an appearance on WWE Raw in Anaheim, Calif., and did not hide his desire to get into the octagon against “The Notorious” one.
Whether this will lead to some momentum towards a fight down the road remains to be seen.
Chandler expressed his disappointment that a fight between him and McGregor would not happen at UFC 300.
UFC president Dana White said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show back on Feb. 7 that McGregor and Chandler will “eventually” fight, vaguely adding “hopefully this year.”
McGregor had posted a video to social media in late December announcing he would be returning to the Octagon this summer during the UFC’s planned International Fight Week in Las Vegas, however that does not appear to be the current plan.
“There is no date,” White explained. “I’m hoping for the fall. I’m hoping we get it done in the fall.”
McGregor had also said the bout would take place at 185 pounds despite neither him nor Chandler ever competing in the middleweight division. The organization has not confirmed the weight at which McGregor and Chandler will compete if and when the bout takes place.
The two fighters coached opposite one another on the UFC’s reality series The Ultimate Fighter in 2023 with the expectation they would fight at a future event following the conclusion of the tournament.
McGregor, who turns 36 in July, has fought just four times since winning the lightweight title back in 2016. He lost three of those fights, including back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier in 2021. McGregor was knocked out at UFC 257 then sustained a broken leg in the rematch at UFC 264 and has not fought since.
Chandler has also lost three of his past four outings and he too is looking to bounce back from a stoppage loss to Poirier. The 37-year-old was submitted by Poirier in the third round of their classic Fight of the Night battle at UFC 281 in November of 2022.
A former Bellator lightweight champion — in fact, he and McGregor were lightweight champions of major organizations simultaneously in 2016 — Chandler has become one of the more popular athletes in the organization over the past few years despite only going 2-3 in the UFC.
–With files from Sportsnet’s Mike Johnston.
