Conor McGregor understands why Michael Chandler is so persistent.
Chandler’s long-awaited duel with McGregor was struck a blow when it was announced that an injury had forced “The Notorious” to withdraw from their highly anticipated welterweight bout, which was to headline UFC 303 next Saturday. A light heavyweight championship rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka has been scheduled for the new June 29 main event.
McGregor cited a toe injury as the reason for his withdrawal, and though he expects to return soon, he is not committed to re-booking the Chandler fight. That has raised questions as to whether or not it is wise for Chandler to continue to wait for the potentially lucrative bout.
On Friday, McGregor claimed on social media that Chandler was smart to wait because he is getting paid “10 times” what he normally would for a fight.
“Chandler is getting paid 10x of what his contract states for other fights,” McGregor wrote. “Meaning he would need to fight 10 fights to make what he would make in this one. I’m The One.”
“For those saying he could have fought 2 or 3 times by now etc.,” McGregor added. “He’d need 10 to break even with this [check].”
It is not known what Chandler’s standard payout is for a UFC fight, nor what he would potentially make should the McGregor fight finally come to fruition. Several of McGregor’s past opponents have suggested that a booking against MMA’s biggest star was a boon for their bank accounts, with the phrase “red panty night” coined to refer to McGregor’s value.
For Chandler’s part, he has not mentioned any other potential opponents for his next fight and seems determined to make the McGregor matchup happen.
