Ex-UFC title challenger shares uncommon take on Michael Chandler waiting for Conor McGregor to return
Conor McGregor is largely expected to face Michael Chandler when he makes his UFC return, but there has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding his comeback. This led to many urging 'Iron' to move on from the Irishman, but not former welterweight title challenger, Stephen Thompson.
'Wonderboy' believes that Chandler should wait for as long as possible to fight McGregor, pointing out that there are few options that present the sort of payout a fight with 'The Notorious' could entail.
Despite having only competed three times in the past six years, McGregor remains arguably the biggest name in MMA, and the biggest draw outside of a title shot for anyone weighing between 145 pounds and 170 pounds.
Thompson was recently interviewed by talkSPORT MMA, where he said this:
"[McGregor] doesn't have to fight, right? I know he's a martial artist, a lifelong martial artist. It would be great for this fight to happen. It would be smart for Chandler to wait for that fight because who else is he gonna fight? Is he gonna fight somebody lower ranked [than himself]? Is he gonna fight somebody for the title next? No. This is a big payout for him, and a legacy fight for Chandler. But I would love to see this fight happen."
Watch Thompson discuss Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler below (15:10):
Matt Brown has opposing stance to Stephen Thompson on Mike Chandler waiting for Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler featured as coaches on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter, which aired from 30 May - 15 Aug. 2023. The pair were expected by many to face each other in the octagon, but the fight is yet to come to fruition.
But several delays have led to the fight date being pushed back, and there has been no word on when the two will square off.
Whilst Stephen Thompson has urged 'Iron' to wait for as long as it takes to secure the McGregor fight, former UFC veteran Matt Brown does not agree.
He was recently interviewed by Damon Martin, where he said:
"You only live once and this is a short window of time in your life that you get to compete at the highest level... I think he's going to look back when he's 50, 60 years old and be like, 'Man, I missed out on a couple years there just waiting for a payday.' I don't think he's hurting for money anyways. It's like, 'I waited for this payday and I could have been putting myself out there on the line.'"
Watch Matt Brown discuss Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler below: