Michael Chandler has sold out for a money fight, now he needs a new line of credit.
The Beginning
In February 2023, it was announced that the prodigal son, Conor McGregor, would be making his return to combat sports in a matchup against divisional superstar “Iron” Michael Chandler.
From the very start, this fight stunk of prevarication, as the build-up was to be conducted through The Ultimate Fighter, a reality TV show where two established pros go head-to-head in coaching a number of fighters through an amateur MMA tournament, with the winner being awarded a contract with the UFC. It’s a formula that has seen better days with viewership declining year on year since its inception, to the point where it was briefly cancelled between 2018 and 2021. Furthermore, its Big Brother format is now so far from its cultural heyday that it actually serves as nostalgia content for a bygone era of television.
A Date is Set, Then a Fight is Called Off
So, it seemed strange to dump the biggest (and most volatile) star in living memory onto low-impact reality TV. The only explanation would be that McGregor required more time after his monumental leg break, and the UFC needed a big name to boost their misguided attempts to revive a stone-cold product- hence the marriage of convenience that birthed The Ultimate Fighter 31.
These developments should have triggered alarm bells in Chandler’s brain. Surely a world tour, similar to the build-up of McGregor vs Aldo, made much more sense? Press conferences overall, and McGregor’s penchant for razor sharp one-liners– has always been the winning formula for generating the social media marketing stir that the UFC worships, look no further than Dana White’s specious defence of Power Slap, via flaccid social media statistics.
For whatever reason, however, the alarms didn’t go off, with Chandler appearing content to officiate in this marriage and give up half a year to the filming and broadcasting of the show. He was then rewarded with another year on the sidelines, with the fight itself only being announced two months before the proposed June 29 date just to be called off at the last minute and pushed back indefinitely.
These were certainly not decisions emblematic of forward planning, with the volatility of McGregor- backed up by a constant flood of stories and videos attesting to the Irishman’s nightlife habits- no doubt making event planning a difficult reality.
Chandler’s Choice
Although Chandler has been dealt a significant amount of punishment in each of his high-profile bouts, no one would have previously accused him of masochism. He is, after all, a competitor, with each of his UFC losses delivering barnburners, not walkovers. In this context, the last two years of ritualistic public humiliation looks increasingly strange, with Chandler suffering consistently snide rebuttals on X from McGregor and the legions of fans who simply want Chandler back in the cage, no matter the opponent, rather than chasing a Fugazi fight that has him prostrating at the feat of the UFC, declaring that “My inner voice, does not think I deserve this fight”.
Michael Chandler to Conor McGregor: “With all due respect, I'm ready to put you behind me…
I'm ready to put you flat on your back, in the middle of an Octagon, wherever it is, hopefully Las Vegas, Nevada, and I can walk out of that Octagon and never have to think about you… pic.twitter.com/fPVhI52J7E
— Full Violence ™ (@Full_Violence) August 28, 2024
The truth is that Chandler deserves much more than this sham. Donald Cerrone has been on record to state that he received his regular salary for his first-round stoppage loss against McGregor. At the same time, he neither mentions pay-per-view points nor locker room bonusses, which makes sense considering the salary structure that the UFC operates as a publicly-tradable company.
Therefore “Red Panty Night”, may, in fact, be nothing more than a scarlet red herring. Although PPV points may have been on the table, McGregor’s pulling power is at this point an open question, considering the very public discourse around his physical health, mental state, and the massive gaps in between his fights.
Business Sense
As a fighter that relies on superior speed and power to compensate for his loopy boxing and lack of defence, Chandler’s potential for another monumental payday is withering as he is contending with the always undefeated ticking biological clock. Therefore, it makes much more sense for him to jump at an available matchup inside the lightweight top 10, say against Renato Moicano, or eventually Paddy Pimblett.
This would give him the momentum (with the UFC hype machine putting some extra weight behind the project) to pursue one more big-name matchup, perhaps against Max Holloway as a title eliminator at lightweight, or a high-profile Colby Covington bout at welterweight. The former would undoubtedly be lucrative if PPV points are genuinely on offer, while the latter would offer an increase in public profile, with a decreased risk factor.
Either way, it is absurd that Chandler continues to cling to this contest. A win will do very little for his reputation, considering the public awareness of McGregor’s commitment, or lack thereof, to fighting. So, the value of this entire endeavour rests on accruing PPV points, a financial gray area, and thus not something that can be speculated on. If we are to believe Cerrone (a UFC man to the last), this avenue is not the saving grace that Chandler sympathisers hope it is.
Final Thoughts
This story mirrors the activities of the current heavyweight champion, with both Chandler and Jon Jones choosing competitive abnegation, rather than letting go of their supposed legacy fights. Both cases speak to interesting developments in fighter power, the idea of legacy, and good old “Dana White privilege”. As for developments in scheduling, don’t hold your breath.
