Michael Chandler hasn’t lost hope on fighting Conor McGregor.
Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) earlier this year wrapped up filming on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which continues to air Tuesdays on ESPN until Aug. 15. They’ve been expected to fight each other after the airing of the show, but a date has not been set.
McGregor is in the middle of another ongoing legal situation after a woman accused him of raping her while attending Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 10 in Miami. The alleged sexual assault occurred inside a men’s bathroom at Kaseya Center. McGregor has denied the allegation, and attorney Barbara R. Llanes called it “no more than a shakedown.”
Despite everything, Chandler absolutely expects McGregor to compete soon.
“I think Conor’s coming back,” Chandler said on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel. “I don’t think he wants to stain his legacy by leading us all down this road of, ‘I’m doing the Ultimate Fighter, I’m fighting Michael Chandler – Oh, by the way, never mind. I’m not coming back.'”
McGregor also needs to re-enter the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency drug testing pool in which he’s required to be for six months before a fight happens – unless the UFC grants an exemption. Chandler said talks have been ongoing everyday, and he remains confident that an agreement will be reached soon.
“Supposedly there was a countdown with USADA, six months, and all that other stuff. That’s not for me to choose or decide,” Chandler said. “Have there been exemptions before? People are talking about exemptions. Of course, that’s all on the table.
“All I know is I’m controlling the controllables, and either way, I’m gonna keep on moving forward, and I do believe I fight Conor within the next six months, and it’s going to be one of the biggest pay-per-views that we have ever seen, and I’m gonna go out there and knock him out within the first two rounds.”
