Michael Chandler confident Conor McGregor returns, fires back at fighters criticizing him for waiting so long

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Once Michael Chandler realized that he wouldn’t be fighting Conor McGregor before the end of 2024, he had to move on with his career.

He’s now slated to face Charles Oliveira in a five-round rematch as the co-main event for UFC 309 in November but he knew the moment that fight got announced, he would start hearing about how he wasted the past two years of his career. Actually, Chandler heard that plenty of times from his fellow fighters long before Oliveira fight got announced because so many of them already criticized him publicly for sitting and waiting for McGregor to finally return.

No matter how loud the noise got from other UFC athletes, Chandler knows without a doubt that just about every single one of them wanted to be in his position.

“It’s really funny,” Chandler told MMA Fighting. “You’ve had a thousand fighters sit here across from you and talk to you doing interviews and all of them who have said that I was Conor’s little whipping boy or I was waiting too long or I was wasting my career, every single one of them would have held onto this Conor fight even if they say publicly that they wouldn’t. Every single one of those guys wants this fight.”

While he’s satisfied with the choices he made, Chandler still believes he will eventually get to welcome McGregor back to the octagon after his last appearance came all the way back in 2021.

The fight may not happen as originally scheduled but Chandler is confident that McGregor is eventually going to compete again — he just can’t say when that might happen.

“I do think [he returns],” Chandler said. “Maybe I’ve just been so close to it and so focused on it that you just look at his history, Conor McGregor is a nothing, nobody without the sport of mixed martial arts. Without the UFC platform. Without the legacy that he has created.

“I believe he’s romantic about it. I believe that he loves the sport. I believe that his spirit loves the sport but sometimes his body and his brain want other things. I’ve never walked a mile in that man’s shoes, neither have you, so who are we to critique him? But I do believe he comes back and when he does, I’ll be waiting. I just might have the title by then.”

There’s a risk and reward with any fight but Chandler getting the rematch against Oliveira could potentially vault him back into title contention with a win or a loss could cost him the chance to settle the score with McGregor when he does return.

Chandler understands that’s the reality of his situation but he’s confident that his choices will eventually pay off.

“I still stand firm in the notion that Conor McGregor is coming back,” Chandler said. “When he does, his road goes through Nashville, Tenn. and Michael Chandler and we finish The Ultimate Fighter. But it’s not going to be my next fight. I am Conor’s next fight but he is not my next fight.”

The best possible reward for Chandler after this whole ordeal is that beating Oliveira at UFC 309 gives him even more options for the future.

Maybe that means welcoming McGregor back to the octagon in early 2025 or perhaps he waits for an eventual showdown with UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev instead.

Chandler has no problem betting on himself to win in November and then looking towards a very busy year ahead in 2025.

“When he gets his house in order, I’ll be waiting for him,” Chandler said about McGregor. “If not, I’ve got no problem beating Charles and going to fight for the title because if I had that choice today, I’m going to fight Islam after I beat Charles.”