Holding no bitterness towards Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler blames himself for failed 'The Notorious' matchup: "They didn't tell me to wait"
Conor McGregor has remained inactive for more than three years. He last entered the octagon in July 2021, when he broke his leg at UFC 264. The former double champion appeared set to return against Michael Chandler after the pair served as opposing coaches on season 31 of 'The Ultimate Fighter,' which finished airing in August 2023.
The pair were finally booked to clash at UFC 303 in June 2024. However, just two weeks prior to the bout, 'The Notorious' was forced to withdraw with a pinky toe injury. 'Iron', who has not competed since UFC 281 in November 2022, decided he was done waiting and is set to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 this weekend. He recently revealed he only blames himself for waiting on the matchup.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on his self-titled show, the No.7-ranked lightweight shared that he has no animosity towards McGregor and that will not change if they don't fight before saying:
"It was a great process for me. It was beneficial. So many great things came from it. Yeah, I think Chandler vs. McGregor needs to happen at some point and I do believe it will happen at some point. If he comes back, his road back in the UFC goes through one man. It goes through Nashville, Tennessee. We have to finish TUF 31 so I'll take care of business on Saturday night and see what is next. Ultimately, too, it's about extreme accountability, as well."
He added that he could have let the UFC know he was done waiting:
"It's on me. I am in control of my own career. They didn't tell me to wait. They said, 'This is when it is going to happen, do you want to wait? Do you not want to wait?' I'll wait, so this is on Michael Chandler. This is Michael Chandler's decision that I made. And yes, there were a lot of outside circumstances, but the onus rests solely on my shoulders."
Check out Michael Chandler's full comments on the Conor McGregor matchup below:
Chandler noted that he can't be mad at McGregor for pulling out of the bout or the UFC for taking time to schedule the pair to clash. While 'Iron' has been booked to face Oliveira this weekend, it is unclear when 'The Notorious' will make his highly-anticipated return to the octagon.
Michael Chandler reveals that Conor McGregor remains in his post-UFC 309 plans
Michael Chandler will have plenty of options available if he is able to get past Charles Oliveira this weekend. He recently revealed that Conor McGregor remains in his plans, hoping the two will clash sometime next year.
Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, 'Iron' revealed that the title will be his focus, but he has unfinished business with the former double champion:
"Islam [Makhachev] is fighting, probably, in January - could be late January. He's going to go into Ramadan in February, all of March, won't be able to go into training camp until April. Won't be able to fight until June, July. I'm not trying to wait until June or July so Conor could sneak in there. We could see Chandler vs. Oliveira, Chander vs. Conor, Chandler vs. Islam, Chandler vs. Max [Holloway]. The craziest four or five fight run in a 12-month period that anyone's ever seen."
Check out Michael Chandler's comments on how Conor McGregor fits into his future plans below (6:30):
While Chandler has lofty goals for the coming year, he must first get past Oliveira at UFC 309 this weekend. The pair previously clashed for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262, with 'do Bronx' winning via second-round TKO.