Conor McGregor believes that the UFC may not be interested in a fight between him and Michael Chandler, despite the two acting as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, but he insists he is ready to fight anyone, sparking a response from Chandler who called him a liar.
Conor McGregor seems to believe that the UFC might be reconsidering its plan for him to fight against Michael Chandler. He and Chandler have been coaches for the current season of The Ultimate Fighter. There has been an expectation that these two former MMA world champions would face off at the end of the season. Interestingly, McGregor has shown a trend of challenging other fighters, including Nate Diaz for a third fight and Justin Gaethje for a potential BMF title bout. Currently, the high profile UFC fighter is suggesting that UFC might be considering different alternatives.
In a now-deleted tweet, McGregor claimed, “I’ll do it if they want, no [problem]. I don’t think they want him not more [though]. There’s loads of juicy fights around and my return date is my return date. I never gave a f*** about who it was. Ever. I’ll fight anyone. I’ll even fly them to me, ask [Paulie Malignaggi]. Flown in and [beat] around.” His views demonstrate his indifference towards the opponent he faces in his return.
Following this, Chandler responded to McGregor’s allegations, calling him a dishonest person. In response to McGregor’s claim, Chandler expressed, “This dude… I remember when his words held an immense amount of weight. Just tell the truth.” During the course of the season, the tension between the two escalated after a Team Chandler victory and a ensuing face-off between the two fighters which resulted in McGregor shoving Chandler. Despite these dramatics, McGregor still seems less than enthusiastic about fighting the former Bellator champion, especially considering it would be his first octagon match since he suffered a serious leg injury in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.