Despite the long wait, Michael Chandler is confident that he ends up fighting Conor McGregor.
Dana White was recently asked the reason behind the delay of McGregor’s return, and the UFC CEO responded by saying, “Money complicates things,” and Chandler seems to agree.
Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has tried to capitalize on the time off. Earlier this week, he made an appearance during a WWE Monday Night RAW event, where he cut a mean promo calling McGregor out.
“There’s a lot of complicated stuff happening behind the scenes,” Chandler said on The MMA Hour. “Nobody’s had to feel like they’ve waited longer than me, right? I’ve been ready to fight since right after ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ But I also understand the time off has been good. The time with my family has been good. Business has been booming outside of me fighting in the cage for a paycheck. But ultimately, Conor’s got his stuff going on. He’s now promoting ‘Road House’ that’s coming out in March.
“Obviously there was the USADA stuff, and then now the new drug testing stuff. There was just all these different layers. Plus what Dana has said, money complicates things. There’s a lot of money involved in this fight. There’s a lot of money in Conor’s camp outside – what he has built and what he has amassed. Everybody, whether you love him or hate him, you’ve got to respect what the man has built, right? So it has complicated things.”
Chandler hasn’t competed since a Fight of the Night war with Dustin Poirier in November 2022. McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) announced a June 29 return. White said the fight will happen in the fall. But the uncertainty hasn’t made Chandler lose hope on the fight happening.
“Either way, the Chandler train is continuing to move forward and we’re not getting off this train,” he said. “This is the fight that is happening. I can’t tell you the date. I can’t tell you a weight. But I can tell you the fight is happening. I have way too many assurances that this fight is happening to think otherwise.”
