Following Justin Gaethje‘s stunning knockout of Dustin Poirier at UFC 291, Conor McGregor expressed interest in facing Gaethje, leaving Michael Chandler‘s potential fight with McGregor in question.
Justin Gaethje managed to attract Conor McGregor’s attention following UFC 291, which might leave Michael Chandler somewhat disoriented. McGregor was among the first fighters to comment on Gaethje’s staggering head-kick knockout of Dustin Poirier at the Saturday pay-per-view event. In his usual manner, he decided to get involved in the discussion about Gaethje’s future. Responding to the situation, McGregor sent a tweet directly to Justin saying, “Justin, I’ll slap you around.”
Gaethje, on the other hand, is hoping to face the winner of a future rematch between champion Islam Makhachev and former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 294. Notably, McGregor recently mentored The Ultimate Fighter 31 opposite Michael Chandler. However, rather than supporting Chandler, McGregor proposed a face-off with the newly crowned BMF champ. In another tweet, McGregor made his intentions clear “I’m the real BMF, he can fight for pennies if he wants but I want spirits, I call the shots, I’m in it to launch shots, forget Chandler, you want it call for it.”
Nonetheless, McGregor’s response shows a significant deviation from his predicted plan, which included a post-season encounter with Chandler. The future of that fight is now uncertain, as McGregor is yet to participate in the UFC’s anti-doping program, a mandate for any fighter exiting the company’s drug testing pool. Chandler, a one-time UFC lightweight title challenger, noticed McGregor’s public pronouncement and weighed in. Despite trying to provoke ‘The Notorious’ into confirming a match, McGregor’s tweets have not assured him of their future face-off. In response, Chandler urged McGregor to simply participate in the doping test by stating, “Just pee in the cup @TheNotoriousMMA it ain’t that complicated…#ufc291.”
As Gaethje’s next move is yet to be confirmed, Chandler offered himself as a possible opponent. He stated, “Well now @Justin_Gaethje has the #BMF belt – he has to defend it against a worthy adversary.” The unfolding events further indicate that the battle for supremacy in this contact sport is still going strong.