Michael Chandler’s wait for Conor McGregor might actually pay off.
The UFC Lightweight contender hasn’t fought in almost two years with his last appearance coming against Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. Since then, it’s been all eyes on McGregor as the fighters faced off on season 31 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ in 2023 in the lead-up for their bout that has yet to be announced by the UFC.
Earlier this week, ‘The Notorious’ offered up a timeline for his highly-anticipated return to action which his targeted opponent Chandler has now confirmed.
“I’ve got the official announcement. It’s happening this summer,” Chandler told TMZ. “I can’t tell you the actual date, but it’s happening this summer. Me vs. Conor, obviously this has been a year in the making, did the Ultimate Fighter, he’s been off obviously doing the ‘Road House’ movie and all of his other aspirations and accolades outside of the cage. So yeah, here we are this summer. I’m ready, baby.
“The official status is, yeah, we have an agreement. We are fighting this summer. We’ll let the court of public opinion speculate on what the date is, but it’s definitely this summer we’re giving you a window that we’re gonna be fighting in. It’s always been, Conor and I… I’ve always known it was gonna be Conor even though the media or the tweets or the things being said. So, it’s been an interesting ride. It’s been a fun ride. It’s what I signed up for. But, now we’re getting darn close, man. We are getting really close. He’s starting training. I’m starting training and we’re gonna collide this summer. So it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
While ‘Iron’ Mike is closing in on the biggest fight of his life, he isn’t able to iron out a date just yet. The agreed upon bout between McGregor and Chandler is rumored to take place at UFC 303 on Jun. 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada during International Fight Week.
#workoutoftheday – shoulder complex: high, wide and backside. @getbiofuel
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) March 22, 2024
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Walk On.
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See you at the top! pic.twitter.com/nShEywDM3V
As for the weight class? Chandler is still on the fence on what division the super-fight will fall in, but ultimately he doesn’t care too much for it. The former Bellator champion just wants to fight.
“We love to just keep it all up in the air, right?” Chandler said, when asked about the weight class for their matchup. “We’re talking 85′, we’re talking 70′, doesn’t seem to be that we’re talking 55, but 85 or 70. And obviously I’ve been vocal. It’s funny the whole like any guy, anytime, any place, any weight, that’s the kind of guy I am, right? I’ve kept that same energy and that same sentiment.
“People misconstrue it as well, ‘Okay, you’ll just fight this guy whenever you want the red panty night so much’. And it’s like, no, it doesn’t matter. Conor and I are about the same size at all times. We fought in the same weight class our entire life, so it doesn’t matter what the weight class is. All that matters is the confines of competition inside mixed martial arts under a specific ruleset. I’m gonna go out there and take his head off and get my hand raised.”
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler both expect the UFC to have fight news very soon for their long overdue matchup.
