Michael Chandler Reacts to His Comeback Fight Against Charles Oliveira Amidst Conor McGregor Confusion

Michael Chandler shares his thoughts on a potential rematch with Charles Oliveira, while uncertainty surrounds Conor McGregor's long-awaited return to the octagon.

Published on Sep 26, 2024  |  10:18 PM IST |  91.2K
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Charles Oliveira, and Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler is finally smiling after all these years. Chandler had his last fight way back in 2022 where he suffered a submission loss to Dustin Poirier. Ever since then, it has been a long, unending wait for ‘Iron’. Coming in as one of the Team captains in TUF 31, Chandler had a match scheduled with none other than Conor McGregor at the season finale. Unfortunately, McGregor failed to get into the USADA testing pool in time, thus, throwing any possibility of the fight materializing out of the window. 

Recently when McGregor pulled out of his UFC 303 main event fight, fans became enraged. They also taunted Chandler saying that he was being played with by ‘The Notorious’ and Dana White. But all that would change when Dana White announced a fight between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler. Such an announcement changed the entire dynamics as the match is being touted as the eliminator for the lightweight gold. In a recently uploaded video on X, Chandler was seen smiling as his match with Oliveira was being announced in the background. 

Turning back the pages of UFC history books, Chandler and Oliveira crossed paths once in the UFC. Back in UFC 262, when the duo met, ‘Do Bronx’ emerged victorious via a KO victory. Interestingly, the match back then was also a title fight. Now, while Chandler is on cloud nine at the moment, his moving on from Conor McGregor is a bad omen for ‘The Notorious’. The Irishman is currently without an opponent or a return date in the UFC. 

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While it is expected that McGregor will return to complete the remaining two matches in his contract, it is unknown when it will happen. McGregor has been recently criticized by a number of top-tier UFC fighters. Speaking on the matter, the lightweight champion pointed out that McGregor returning to the UFC is no less than a fantasy. Echoing similar sentiments, featherweight king Ilia Topuria stated that he would turn down an offer to fight with ‘Mystic Mac’ at the moment. 

Meanwhile, the Irishman has reportedly approached Turki Alalshikh to help him find a match in the UFC. Thus, with quite a change of fate for Chandler and McGregor, it now remains to be seen what happens next. 

ALSO READ: Michael Chandler Ready to Move on From Conor McGregor Fight: ‘My Legacy Is Not Hinged Upon This Fight’

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About The Author

Debmallya Chakraborty, a senior journalist at PinkVilla, has been deeply involved in UFC since 2015, transitioning from an observer

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