"He was the better man on fight night" - Michael Chandler looks back at loss against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, vows to come back stronger
Former UFC lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler recently reflected on his loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 just over a week ago. 'Iron', who went on a five-round war with 'Do Bronx', lost the first four rounds and made a miraculous comeback attempt in the final round.
Despite his blazing effort, Chandler wasn't able to put Oliveira away and lost a unanimous decision. Still, the bout won Fight of the Night honors as it showcased vintage 'Iron' - never giving up even in the face of imminent defeat.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Michael Chandler wrote:
"Head up, smile on, heart full in the face of whatever comes our way. Many aspects of a fight can be debated about and replayed ad nauseam, but one thing that will never be up for debate is that we prepared to the best of our abilities with zero wavering or concessions."
He continued:
"Hats off the Charles [Oliveira], he was the better man on fight night. Thank you to my team I prepared with and walked into battle with.. We aren’t even close to being done. Walk On. See you at the top!"
Here's the post:
UFC president Dana White still thinks Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler fight can happen
In his post-match interview with Joe Rogan at UFC 309, Michael Chandler called out Conor McGregor, the man he was supposed to face at UFC 303 last June. The much-anticipated main event bout was supposed to be McGregor's return after a three-year hiatus. As bad luck would have it, 'The Notorious' got injured and the bout was ultimately scrapped.
It seems there is still high interest for the McGregor-Chandler battle to happen - especially from the UFC brass. In an interview with veteran sports radio host Jim Rome, UFC president Dana White talked about the canceled fight between 'The Notorious' and 'Iron' and whether or not it can still happen.
White said:
"Yeah, that's a fun fight [McGregor-Chandler]. I think Conor [McGregor] and [Michael] Chandler both like that fight. When Conor comes back, which I see being, you know, some time in the later part of next year, we'll see where everybody's at, what's going on, and we'll figure out who faces Conor. But there's no denying - that's why everybody was so excited about it - Chandler and Conor McGregor is a fun fight."
Listen to White's comments here (1:21:00)