LAS VEGAS – Michael Chandler has been though a lot in recent years, yet, he remains fully positive even if things didn’t pan out the way he wanted them.
Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), a former Bellator champion and current top UFC contender, is closing in on two years away from the sport due to hold-ups and postponements of a fight with Conor McGregor that never came to fruition.
Chandler was always game to fight and remained training for the bout against the Irish superstar, but in the end, he had to move on and now finds himself booked in a rematch against Charles Oliveira in November at UFC 309.
Despite spending almost two, key years of his prime on the sidelines waiting for McGregor, Chandler doesn’t hold against grudges against him.
“No, I’m not going to let another man control my emotions and let another man control my life,” Chandler told reporters at UFC 306. “Over the last year and a half, it’s been an up and down of craziness. You guys see the way he lives his life, you guys see the Tweets, you guys see the media machine, and the constant attention that Conor is. And me, being the guy on the other side, I’m just a quieter guy by nature when it comes to not trying to put myself on the headlines nonstop and not trying to put myself in the conversation all the time.
“I’m not mad at him at all. I wish Conor the best. He’s earned every right to be in the position that he is. He’s earned every right to do what he wants to do and operate the way he wants to operate.”
While some doubt if McGregor will ever fight again, Chandler is confident McGregor will not only return, but have his welcome back to the UFC against him.
“Conor McGregor is still not off the hook,” Chandler said. “Conor McGregor’s road back to the UFC still goes through Nashville, Tenn., and Michael Chandler. We must finish “TUF 31.” It has to happen. We’re at the same weight class. It was too long of a buildup for it not to happen.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
