Michael Chandler will return to the octagon at UFC 309 on November 16 for a rematch against Charles Oliveira, instead of his long-awaited fight with Conor McGregor, with Oliveira expressing understanding of Chandler’s decisions and focusing on his own path to potentially reclaiming UFC gold.
Michael Chandler is finally set to re-enter the octagon later this year. Surprisingly, it won’t be his long-awaited match with Conor McGregor.
Instead, Chandler will rematch Charles Oliveira in a five-round co-main event at UFC 309 on Nov. 16. The Brazilian fighter won’t criticize Chandler for staying on the sidelines so long waiting for “The Notorious.”
The UFC officially announced Chandler and McGregor as The Ultimate Fighter season 31 coaches back in February 2023. The show aired nearly four months later.
Fast forward 16 months, and after several canceled plans, Chandler is officially no longer fighting McGregor. "It’s complicated because we’re not in his shoes and no one knows what was negotiated," Oliveira said in an interview with MMA Fighting.
"If he waited two years without getting paid anything, that’s two years away," Oliveira continued. "But do you think someone would wait [without getting paid]? They did TUF, so he definitely made some money there."
"Was he paid his show money when Conor pulled out [of UFC 303]?" Oliveira pondered. "In reality, people talk and talk, but no one knows what the reality is."
"I’m not here to criticize anyone," Oliveira added. "If he waited, that’s because it was good for him."
"I hope it was good for him because two years with no fights is a lot," Oliveira emphasized. "Chandler has a family to provide for, and when you have a family to provide for, a small child, you have to make things happen."
Although Oliveira won’t criticize Chandler’s decisions, he probably wouldn’t have done the same. Especially knowing how much he loves to compete.
"I can speak only for myself," Oliveira said. "I don’t feel the timing of the fight when I’m away for so long."
"I like to stay on rhythm and competing," he continued. "Of course, not taking one fight right after the other because this is MMA and we’re breaking each other every day."
"But I feel like it takes some time to find myself when I’m away for too long," Oliveira admitted. "Chandler hasn’t fought in two years, and I don’t know how he’s doing, if he was resting or not."
Chandler has likely done more than one full camp preparing specifically for McGregor. But Oliveira has a different fighting style.
The duo battled for a vacant title back at UFC 262 in 2021. Oliveira was dropped before coming back and finishing Chandler with punches early in round two.
"He’s still an explosive guy who walks forward," Oliveira remarked about Chandler. "We know we have to stay focused like we’ve been in my last fights."
"Not worrying about what my opponent can bring to the cage and more on what I can bring," Oliveira explained. "We’ll watch our last fight and his recent ones so we can impose the rhythm and do my game."
"Like I said, he’s very explosive, very dangerous, and he hits hard," Oliveira noted. "So we have to plan things out right to get there 100 percent for the fight."
With Tsarukyan likely next for UFC gold against champion Islam Makhachev in early 2025, Oliveira has his eyes set on positioning himself in line with a victory over Chandler. However, he knows a McGregor match-up could also be on the horizon.
He would rather embrace a chance to re-gain UFC gold than fight “The Notorious” next after UFC 309. "Am I next in line if I beat McGregor? If that’s the plan, then I’m 100 percent in," Oliveira stated.
"But if you say, ‘No, you have to choose one of the two,’ I’m definitely going for the title," he added emphatically. "If I have the opportunity to fight Conor and we make a lot of money… why not?"
"[My managers Diego Lima and Jorge Patino] know what my plan is," Oliveira continued. "I want the fights that take me to the belt."
"I’ve been posting a lot these days, ‘waiting for the boss to call,’ and the UFC definitely sees that." He concluded by saying that Diego and ‘Macaco’ came with the Chandler fight.
"I’m definitely much closer to the title with a win over Chandler," Oliveira asserted. "I’ll just stay focused now."
"Chandler is super tough and deserves all the respect." He finished by saying that Chandler knows how much he respects and cares for him.
"So it’s definitely going to be a great fight."