Michael Chandler is eager to not only get back into the Octagon and compete again, but the lightweight contender is hoping to deliver a knockout blow to Conor McGregor that will end his career for good.
Chandler, who hasn’t fought since a submission loss to Dustin Poirier all the way back in Nov. 2022, has been waiting patiently for his fight with “Notorious” and rightfully so. A fight with McGregor is the biggest stage any fighter can ask for and it equals millions of dollars in pay. Chandler has had to sit on the sidelines as McGregor rehabbed his injured leg, re-entered UFC’s drug testing pool, and negotiated his official return to the cage.
It’s been a long road for Chandler to say the least, but one that is finally coming to a close. McGregor made an announcement two weeks ago confirming that his return is likely to take place on June 29 at UFC 302 during UFC’s International Fight Week. That’s good news for Chandler, who is hearing the same rumors.
“I can confirm, that’s exactly what I’ve heard as well,” Chandler said on his YouTube channel. “Obviously, him announcing it makes it a little bit more true. You’ve got to remember, the UFC has not announced this yet. Also, if I take you back to Feb. of 2023, while he, the UFC, myself, we were all in talks about The Ultimate Fighter, Conor came out and put a long tweet out about The Ultimate Fighter and how he was going to do The Ultimate Fighter. So Conor, in typical Conor fashion — Conor being Conor — wanted to break the news himself about The Ultimate Fighter, then it was confirmed and the UFC put it out there.
“It looks like that scenario has happened again. June 29, International Fight Week, me versus Conor.”
Assuming nothing else holds up this matchup Chandler will finally get his chance to put hands on “Notorious.” The two haven’t shared too much bad blood over the past year, but they are certainly not buddies after coaching opposite one another on The Ultimate Fighter. Either way, Chandler will be coming to absolutely destroy McGregor and boot him back into hiding.
“It’s going to be a big card, it’s going to be fun, and I finish Conor within the first two rounds and after that, probably end his career,” Chandler said. “There’s just so much more than what people think about on the surface level. I want battlegrounds of epic proportions, I want to stand in the cage with that man, I want to break that man’s will, I want to break his jaw, I want to separate him from consciousness, completely flatline him inside the octagon, and then we say farewell to the sport’s biggest star. Then we can go about our merry way.”
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
