Michael Chandler has already been waiting nearly two years for a fight against Conor McGregor but late Monday night, he dropped a bombshell that no one saw coming.
“I’ve been offered Islam Makhachev in October,” Chandler claimed on Twitter. “But if Conor McGregor’s little pinky toe is ready by September, let’s do Sphere. Biggest sporting event in history of sports.”
I’ve been offered @MAKHACHEVMMA in October - but if @TheNotoriousMMA little pinky toe is ready by Sept, let’s do sphere. Biggest sporting event in history of sports!!!! @RiyadhSeason #ufc306 pic.twitter.com/STUUFns2Hp
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) July 2, 2024
The UFC hasn’t addressed Chandler’s declaration about the fight offer but October is the proposed date in Abu Dhabi when Makhachev is next expected to compete. All signs pointed to Arman Tsarukyan getting that title opportunity but now perhaps Chandler is going to jump the line — if he forgoes the fight against McGregor.
After Chandler continued to tweet about Makhachev, the lightweight champion seemingly dismissed his would-be challenger, calling Chandler “unreliable.”
For what it’s worth, UFC legend Matt Brown says Chandler would be crazy not to take the title shot if it becomes available.
“Why you wouldn’t jump on that, take it right now, sign the dotted line today, makes zero sense to me,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I can’t think of any reason not to do it.
“Assuming Conor does come back - let’s just assume he is going to come back - do you think he wouldn’t love to fight you for the title? You could absolutely set that fight for the title, assuming that you win the title and now not only is it a Conor McGregor fight but it’s a Conor McGregor fight for the title. Does it get any better?”
Brown has long doubted that McGregor ever fights again, but even with the Irish superstar plotting a comeback from a broken pinky toe that forced him to drop out of UFC 303 this past weekend, there’s no exact timeline when he might actually compete.
UFC CEO Dana White has been adamant that he’s not even going to discuss another date for McGregor’s next fight until he’s fully healthy again.
Add to that, McGregor remains the biggest draw in the sport so he could fight anybody in his return to action after three years away and sell a ton of tickets and pay-per-views. As for Chandler, he has been waiting for the chance to face McGregor and earn the hefty payday that goes along with that fight, but a lightweight championship opportunity could be even bigger in some regards.
“Michael Chandler needed Conor. Now he’s got a title shot,” Brown said. “Now he doesn’t need Conor. Get the f*cking title shot. F*ck Conor. Go!
“Take the fight. Let’s say worst-case scenario, you go out there Islam destroys you, wrecks you in one round, you think Conor’s still not going to want to fight you? You’re already coming off a loss. Conor wants a tune-up fight - I would never call Chandler a tune-up fight - but that’s what Conor’s saying. He’s like, ‘This is a fight to get me back, it’s a good matchup for me.’ That’s what he’s thinking. Whatever Islam does to you isn’t going to change Conor’s mind on that. I don’t think.”
Chandler’s emphatic message addressed to McGregor might be his last attempt to force the former two-division UFC champion to decide on a return date, which at this time is still unknown.
Even if McGregor announces he’s ready by September, Brown just doesn’t see how Chandler can pass up on a title shot that would almost certainly elude him otherwise.
“The only thing I can think is maybe Michael Chandler is kind of just putting it out there for us and hoping to bait Conor in real quick,” Brown explained. “This sport moves too quick. He’s just got to take it. It’s insane.
“What if Conor does say ‘I’m good for September’ and he turns down the Islam fight, fights Conor and say he goes out there and starches Conor real quick and easy, Islam may have moved on by then. Beating Conor isn’t necessarily going to get you a title shot next. Now you’ve got to work your way against another couple of guys? You got a big payday, now you’ve got to go fight another few guys to try to get a title shot? Unless the UFC promises him a title shot if he beats Conor. Who knows. It doesn’t add up at all to not jump on this opportunity straight away.”
Considering the way Chandler posed the question on social media makes it appear that he’s still contemplating whether to fight Makhachev or wait for a response from McGregor.
Brown truly hopes that’s not the case. In fact, he believes Chandler is just getting one last jab in at McGregor before announcing that he’s fighting Makhachev in October with the UFC lightweight title on the line.
“I’m betting Chandler’s already made up his mind and he’s doing the Islam fight and he’s just talking shit to Conor now,” Brown said. “Just kind of poking Conor a little bit, just letting him know. Something like that. It wouldn’t make any sense not to do this.
“You got what you wanted this whole time. You got the championship fight. You got a chance to get your dream. Now if your dream is to make a few more bucks, I don’t know all the contract details but how much money are you realistically going to make versus Conor versus Islam anyway? Maybe it’s a few million but you can’t go make a few million? Chandler’s going to take that fight. Maybe he was just trolling Conor, poking and prodding him a little bit or whatever. Unless there’s gigantic thing that we’re missing here, he’s got to be taking the title fight.”
