Michael Chandler answers if lack of activity due to waiting for Conor McGregor fight affected his performance against Charles Oliveira

Michael Chandler faced former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 on the main card of the pay-per-view event and lost by unanimous decision. When asked by a fan on X if the inactivity due to waiting for a potential Conor McGregor fight cost him the bout against Oliveira, Chandler replied:

"I don’t think so. I was present in there. Conor in 2025"

Michael Chandler was eyeing Conor McGregor as his opponent on his return to the octagon after losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. The duo was initially announced to face each other at UFC 303, however, a toe injury forced "The Notorious" out.

Chandler issued multiple callouts to rebook the fight, however, the arrangements with McGregor couldn't come to fruition. Chandler then squared off against "Do Bronx" only to lose by unanimous decision.

Charles Oliveira faces a potential opponent in Ilia Topuria as he hints at challenging the former champion

Charles Oliveira warned reigning featherweight king Ilia Topuria of moving up to the lightweight division ahead of his UFC 309 clash with Mike Chandler. Topuria had expressed his wish to go up to the lightweight division to become the first fighter to beat Islam Makhachev by submission.

While speaking to Spanish radio, Topuria said:

"We need to talk about it and take a look at my future, but for me, it’s very clear how I want to do it. I’d like to move up to the next weight class, and since Islam is the champion fighting in January, and he won’t be ready for April or May, I’d like to fight against the No. 1 contender right now, who’s Charles Oliveira.” [h/t MMA Junkie]

Check out Ilia Topuria's interview below:

"Do Bronx" is coming off a clinical decision victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 309.