Michael Chandler may have snubbed Conor McGregor to take on a fight with Charles Oliveira instead at UFC 309 on Saturday night, but it doesn’t seem like ‘The Notorious’ is holding a grudge about it.
Instead of taking a dig at Chandler after his unanimous decision loss to Oliveira at the weekend, McGregor instead offered his own unique version of praise for his rival.
“Cut Michael Chandler!” McGregor wrote on social media. “Just kidding, good fight. Mad little fellow is Michael. I like em’!”
Chandler had been dominated on the mat by Oliveira for much of the fight, but still thrilled the crowd in the final round as he did everything he could to try to find a finish.
And afterwards Chandler did try to rekindle the possibility of fighting McGregor next after their original plan to compete in June fell through.
“Forget calling out Islam, Charles is doing that next,” Chandler told Joe Rogan in the Octagon after the fight. “Maybe Max Holoway for the BMF belt.
“Or Conor McGregor if you can ever get your house back in order while us real professionals have been keeping the Octagon warm.
“We are wondering where you have been Conor. Come back and beat me, if you can?”
Judging my McGregor’s reaction, it seems that he may still be interested in fighting Chandler if and when he does return to action – something that Daniel Cormier has said he was anticipating.
“I said this before the fight: I thought Chandler had a better chance of getting the McGregor fight if he lost,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He lost that fight. He showed that you can hurt him, but he also showed how tough and durable he is.
“Michael Chandler doesn’t need to win all the time. He’s past that, in terms of who he is as a fighter. He’s past that. He once again won, even though he lost. He’ll get the McGregor fight, and it’s going to be massive, and I’m all for it.”
Of course all this is assuming that McGregor does actually return. And on that matter the goalposts still appear to be continually moving.
Not so long ago Dana White had suggested McGregor would be back in early next year, but in what appears to be a recurring theme that’s now been pushed back until nearer the end of 2025.
“[McGregor’s] going to fight in 2025, probably at the end of the year, if it is earlier that is good for all of us,” White told Jim Rome last week.
