Michael Chandler is trying a different tactic to goad Conor McGregor into a fight.
The former three-time Bellator lightweight champion made a surprise appearance in Anaheim on WWE Monday Night RAW — and he used his mic time to cut a furious promo calling McGregor out for their long-discussed yet still unbooked showdown.
Watch Chandler’s handiwork below.
WHOA! @MikeChandlerMMA just called out @TheNotoriousMMA on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/pUN2dUFW1r
— WWE (@WWE) February 20, 2024
“Hey, what’s up Anaheim! You are now in the presence of the most entertaining UFC fighter on the planet. Hey, now there’s a man from Ireland that’s been making me wait for way too long, and I’ve still got one dude on my mind! Conor McGregor, get your candy ass back to the octagon! We’ve got some unfinished business, boys! God bless. I’ll see you at the top!”
Chandler, 37, has been tentatively linked to a UFC return bout against McGregor since coaching against the Irishman on The Ultimate Fighter 31 in early 2023. After a long and drawn out saga, McGregor announced his comeback fight against Chandler on New Year’s Eve for June 29 at the UFC’s annual International Fight Week pay-per-view. UFC CEO Dana White has since denied McGregor’s claims, however, and maintained that there is no fight on the books for the former two-division champion. White reiterated that sentiment this past weekend after UFC 298, stating that he still does not know when McGregor will return.
McGregor, 35, has not competed since suffering a broken leg in his July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, but has repeatedly voiced his displeasure about not being booked by the UFC.
In total, McGregor has fought just four times in MMA since capturing the UFC lightweight title with a 2016 win over Eddie Alvarez, sandwiching a victory over Donald Cerrone between a title loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov and back-to-back stoppage losses to Poirier.
Considering UFC and WWE are two brands now operating under the same corporate umbrella, TKO Group Holdings, Chandler’s latest ploy to coax McGregor back is, if nothing else, a creative way to use the corporate synergy to amplify his rivalry with the Irishman.
