Conor McGregor wants "exemption" from UFC to "get busy" in light of Michael Chandler's latest fight update: "I'm out of the loop with it"
Conor McGregor wants to return to the octagon sooner rather than later, even as his scheduled opponent, Michael Chandler, moves on to face Charles Oliveira in November.
Despite the setback, McGregor remains optimistic about a potential matchup with Chandler in the future. Speaking at a recent press conference, he expressed his support for Chandler's decision to rematch Oliveira and indicated his willingness to fight the former Bellator champion at a later date:
“As far as Chandler rematching Oliveira, I’m happy with the date... It’s November. Maybe we can still do it after, if they’re not going to line me up until December, maybe January or February, one of these dates. Maybe we can still do it. I’m just a bit out of the loop with it. All I can do is carry on doing what I’m doing."
UFC CEO Dana White has stated that McGregor will not return to action until 2025, a timeline that McGregor is eager to accelerate.
McGregor has now suggested a possible co-promotion between the UFC and Bare Knuckle FC to expedite his return. He believes that such a partnership could provide him with an opportunity to compete more frequently:
“I’ve two fights left on my UFC contract... I would love maybe an exemption, or maybe a joint partnership, Bare Knuckle-UFC, similar to McGregor Sports and Entertainment and Mayweather Promotions. Some sort of agreement where we can get busy. I need to be busy and right now I’m working to get there. So let’s see what happens.”
Check out Conor McGregor's comments below:
Check out Conor McGregor's appearance at the BKFC press conference below:
Michael Chandler opens up on moving on from the Conor McGregor fight
Michael Chandler's decision to move on from the Conor McGregor fight came after years of waiting for the Irishman to return to the octagon. Chandler, who has been eager to compete at the highest level, explained his reasoning for accepting the Charles Oliveira fight.
In a video posted on his official Instagram handle, 'Iron' said:
“So, what am I going to do? I’m going to fight Charles Oliveira. Why am I going to fight Charles Oliveira? Number one, it’s a badass fight. Number two, it’s a rematch. It’s a redemption story for me. The dude who already stole from me – rightfully so, in a fair fight – he stole my dreams, shattered my dreams of becoming UFC champion.”
Chandler also dismissed McGregor's recent criticism, accusing the Irishman of being unreliable:
“I’m not even going to respond to Conor’s stupid little tweet, acting like I dipped. The simple fact of the matter is, you are the most unreliable human being that has ever graced mixed martial arts."
Check out Michael Chandler's post below: