Featured Columnist IVSeptember 14, 2024
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC president Dana White revealed on Friday that Michael Chandler’s next fight won’t be against Conor McGregor.
Spinnin Backfist @SpinninBackfist
DANA DROPS BIG NEWS TO @SpinninBackfist
Conor McGregor WILL NOT fight Michael Chandler next 👀 pic.twitter.com/ucHWmaYLBr
“Chandler said, ‘I’m done waiting. I want to fight,'” White revealed.
However, White later kept open the door for that fight happening somewhere down the line. But Chandler’s next matchup will be a rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 in New York.
Spinnin Backfist @SpinninBackfist
🚨BREAKING NEWS
Conor McGregor MAY fight Chandler next, but Chandler wanted a fight sooner.
so we get this BANGER instead
Michael Chandler vs Charles Oliveira
UFC 309 | New York City | November 16via @SpinninBackfist / @RobbieBarstool pic.twitter.com/IB5s5rTFYy
Oliveira beat Chandler by TKO at UFC 262 in May 2021.
As for McGregor and Chandler, the two were first scheduled to fight at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024 after serving as opposing coaches during 2023’s The Ultimate Fighter 31. Just weeks before the bout, however, it was cancelled due to McGregor breaking his toe.
McGregor, 36, last fought in July 2021, breaking his leg in a loss against Dustin Poirier. He’s now lost three of his last four UFC matches, including a pair of bouts against Poirier. He’s now 22-6 in his MMA career.
Chandler, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since Nov. 2022, also a loss to Poirier. The 38-year-old has dropped three of his last four fights as well and is now 23-8 in his career.
In early August, Chandler seemed open to the possibility of fighting someone other than McGregor in his next bout, as he told Lucky Block (h/t Drake Riggs of MMA Mania):
“I am an optimist by default, so I do believe the Conor fight will happen. Right now, we are in a period where things are being talked about. What date? Is it Conor? Is it pivoting to a different fight? Is it making the best decision for me and my family? I love the idea that Conor and I did The Ultimate Fighter, we had a training camp, we signed on the dotted line. But as much as I respect Conor, my legacy is not hinged upon this fight. I am running my own race, and I’m continuing to move forward. I am at the point now where we are looking at all of the options and not just fighting Conor.”
White, meanwhile, said earlier this week that McGregor will return to the Octagon in 2025.
“Let me tell you this, I was the one this year saying I don’t think he’s going to fight this year, amid all the talk and everything else,” he told reporters. “Conor McGregor will fight next year, early 2025.”
Whether that’s against Chandler or not remains to be seen.
