Michael Chandler shares Donald Trump’s message involving UFC 309 after winning U.S. election
Michael Chandler appears confident that his UFC 309 co-main event bout against Charles Oliveira will take place in front of the U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump. The businessman-turned-politician was announced as the next president of the U.S. on Nov. 5.
Trump has been spotted at numerous UFC pay-per-view cards over the past few years, having shared a friendship with the promotion's CEO Dana White for over two decades.
But the president-elect's position, as of Nov. 5, has led fans to believe that Trump may not attend any UFC events for the foreseeable future. Ahead of UFC 309, which takes place at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, Chandler was interviewed by TMZ Sports.
With 'Iron' being a known supporter of Trump, he was asked if he knew whether the 78-year-old would be in attendance at next week's PPV card. The lightweight contender replied, saying:
"I was very happy with the result of the election, I have not been shy about that. I did see Trump and he said, 'I'll either be there on Nov. 16 because we won the election, or if I lost I will be depressed and I won't show up.' Obviously, he won the election. So it sounds like he's gonna be there."
He continued:
"I will have the American flag on my person. It would be an honor to go out there and get my hand raised at the world's most iconic arena in front of our president-elect."
Catch Michael Chandler's comments about Donald Trump below (3:38):
Donald Trump names his favorite UFC fighter of all time
Donald Trump has been spotted at UFC events for many years, with the president-elect a known fan of both boxing and MMA.
UFC CEO Dana White has previously opened up about how Trump helped the promotion stay afloat during a dark period for the company. During Trump's recent celebration ceremony after being announced as the next U.S. president, White was on hand to share some kind words about his friend.
The 78-year-old recently appeared on popular steamer Adin Ross' stream, where he named his favorite UFC fighter:
"Dana [White], there's nobody like him. And I always say, 'everybody can be replaced, except Dana.' This guy travels the world looking for fighters...He doesn't care, from countries nobody ever heard of and that's where he finds the best fighters...I think Khabib [Nurmagomedov, I mean, how good is he? I guess 29-0 and then his father died and then he stopped."
Catch Donald Trump's comments below: