Former UFC fighter believes Michael Chandler could "regret" holding out for Conor McGregor
Michael Chandler has not competed in nearly two years as he has awaited a clash with Conor McGregor. The No. 6-ranked lightweight last entered the octagon at UFC 281 in November 2022, losing to Dustin Poirier via third-round submission. Matt Brown recently suggested that 'Iron' could regret sitting out waiting to face the biggest star in mixed martial arts.
Speaking to co-host Damon Martin on the podcast The Fighter vs. The Writer, 'The Immortal' said:
"Ultimately, I mean, he's probably not going to lose money on it if he does fight Conor - just with the brand awareness, whatever. He's got other business going on. I don't think he's hurting for money or anything. So, ultimately, in the bigger picture, it's probably not going to be a net loss in that sense, but in my view, you only live once and this is a short window of time in your life that you get to compete at the highest level."
Brown continued:
"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 that, you know, just waiting for a payday' when - again, 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'. I think Michael Chandler is a competitor. I think he wants to be out there putting it on the line and I think he's going to end up regretting this someday."
Check out Matt Brown's comments on Michael Chandler waiting for Conor McGregor below:
Chandler and McGregor served as opposing coaches on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter, which aired from May to August 2023. Following a series of setbacks, largely on the side of the former double champ, the pair finally appeared set to clash at UFC 303 in June 2024.
The bout was eventually called off just over two weeks before they were set to meet as 'The Notorious' withdrew with a broken pinky toe. While both have remained adamant it will be rescheduled, there has been no news on that front thus far.
Dan Hooker calls out Conor McGregor to troll Michael Chandler
Dan Hooker was able to win his third consecutive bout and enter the top five of the lightweight rankings when he defeated Mateusz Gamrot via split decision at UFC 305. He shocked fans afterward by using his post-fight octagon interview to call out Conor McGregor. Speaking to Oscar Willis of The Mac Life, 'The Hangman' said he was simply trolling Michael Chandler.
"I didn’t necessarily call him out, I just said that because I am an absolute troll, so it’s like the biggest troll move you could do of all time is to snake that fight off [Michael] Chandler. Like, he waits all that time and then Conor just fights me anyway, like, that would be gold. Like, I would feel like the biggest snake troll of all time. I'll get my black belt in the troll Olympics," Hooker said.
Check out Dan Hooker's comments on calling out Conor McGregor to troll Michael Chandler below (starting at the 7:49 mark):
It is unclear if McGregor or the UFC would entertain the idea of moving on from the Chandler bout to face Hooker. The No. 5-ranked lightweight did, however, say he is open to facing any opponent.