MICHAEL CHANDLER OFFERED UFC TITLE FIGHT, CALLS OUT CONOR MCGREGOR
UFC 303 kicked off on Saturday and was supposed to be the card that welcomed back superstar Conor McGregor. McGregor was set to face off against Michael Chandler after the pair were the coaches for "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2023.
Read more: Conor McGregor Reveals Gruesome Injury That Led to UFC 303 Fight Cancelation
Sadly, McGregor would suffer an injury that forced him out of the fight, leaving Chandler on the outside looking in for his own UFC comeback. Chandler has been waiting a long time to face off against the Irish superstar, but he has now revealed that he has been offered an entirely new fight.
Chandler took to X to announce that the UFC has offered him a title fight against Islam Makhachev in October. According to the post, "I've been offered @MAKHACHEVMMA in October - but if @TheNotoriousMMA little pinky toe is ready by Sept, let's do sphere. Biggest sporting event in history of sports!!!! @RiyadhSeason #ufc306."
No other insiders like Ariel Helwani or Jon Anik have confirmed this fight offer, but Chandler wouldn't necessarily have any reason to lie about this offer. Though fighting McGregor would be massive for his career, Chandler receiving a title fight would be even bigger.
Chandler last fought in the octagon on Nov. 12, 2022, at UFC 281 when he took on Dustin Poirier. He would lose in the third round to a rear naked chokehold.
Chandler fighting for the title is a bit confusing, considering he is currently 1-3 in his last four contests. After he debuted in the UFC in Jan. 2021 and dominated Dan Hooker en route to a first-round KO/TKO victory, he was immediately given a title shot against the then-champion, Charles Oliveira in May 2021. Sadly, he was lost to a KO/TKO in the second round.
Despite the loss, Chandler would go on to fight Justin Gaethje in Nov. 2021 and Tony Ferguson in May 2022, only winning against Ferguson. Despite once being elite, Ferguson has not been the same fighter for many years.
Chandler's only win is against Ferguson, though he has not shied away from challenging some of the best fighters in the lightweight division. It would be a bit bizarre for him to receive a title shot but on the flipside, Makhachev has also beaten everyone in the lightweight division already.
What makes Chandler's post even more confusing is that he is still angling to fight McGregor over challenging Makhachev for the title in October. The UFC is set to host a fight at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sep.14, and many fighters are attempting to be on that card.
McGregor suffered a broken toe, which could sideline him for a couple more months, but the hope is he will be plenty ready to headline UFC 306 at The Sphere. Chandler still pushing to take on McGregor might simply be because he knows it would catapult him into the stratosphere if he were to win — but so would snatching the title away from Makhachev.
2024-07-02T01:59:48Z dg43tfdfdgfd