Michael Chandler has been eagerly awaiting a fight against Conor McGregor for nearly two years. However, he surprised everyone late Monday night with a shocking announcement.
Chandler revealed on Twitter, “I’ve been offered Islam Makhachev in October. But if Conor McGregor’s little pinky toe is ready by September, let’s do Sphere. Biggest sporting event in the history of sports.”
The UFC has not yet responded to Chandler’s claim about the fight offer. October is the proposed date in Abu Dhabi for Makhachev’s next fight. Initially, Arman Tsarukyan was expected to get the title shot, but now Chandler may have the opportunity to jump ahead — if he chooses to forego the fight against McGregor.
Following Chandler’s tweets about Makhachev, the lightweight champion seemingly dismissed him as “unreliable.”
UFC legend Matt Brown believes Chandler would be making a mistake not to accept the title shot if it becomes available.
Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, “Why you wouldn’t jump on that, take it right now, sign the dotted line today, makes zero sense to me. I can’t think of any reason not to do it.”
He added, “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 been skeptical about McGregor’s return to the octagon, but even with McGregor hinting at a comeback, there is no definite timeline for his return.
UFC CEO Dana White has made it clear that discussions about McGregor’s next fight won’t happen until he is fully healthy again.
While Chandler has been waiting for a chance to face McGregor and earn a significant payday, a shot at the lightweight championship could be even more lucrative.
Brown emphasized, “Michael Chandler needed Conor. Now he’s got a title shot. Now he doesn’t need Conor. Get the title shot. Forget Conor. Go!”
He continued, “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 strong message to McGregor may be his final attempt to push the former champion to make a decision on his return date, which is still unknown.
Even if McGregor declares he’s ready by September, Brown doesn’t see how Chandler can pass up a title shot that may not come around again.
Brown explained, “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. This sport moves too quick. He’s just got to take it. It’s insane.”
He added, “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.”
Chandler’s social media posts suggest he is still considering whether to face Makhachev or wait for McGregor’s response.
Brown hopes that Chandler has already made up his mind to fight Makhachev in October with the UFC lightweight title at stake.
He concluded, “I’m betting Chandler’s already made up his mind and he’s doing the Islam fight and he’s just talking to Conor now. 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.”
He added, “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 a gigantic thing that we’re missing here, he’s got to be taking the title fight.”