Eddie Alvarez believes that the delay in the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight is due to the UFC’s strategy of involving multiple potential opponents to reduce the fighters’ negotiation power over their contracts.
Eddie Alvarez has some thoughts. He’s got a theory about why the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight is dragging its feet.
McGregor and Chandler were coaches this year on The Ultimate Fighter 31. The plan was for them to face off in McGregor’s comeback fight, after a two-year hiatus from MMA. But, it hasn’t happened yet. There’s been no announcement. It’s left folks scratching their heads, wondering what’s up.
Alvarez, who’s been in the ring with McGregor at UFC 205 in 2016, has a theory. It’s based on his past dealings with UFC and McGregor.
“Remember when we dealt with this Conor thing?” Alvarez said to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “Nobody knew if I was fighting or when. We were all trying to figure it out. Then the boss calls me, ‘Oh, you found out?’ Yeah, we found out. We found out when and who. I think they’re pulling the same stunt.”
Alvarez had a similar experience before his fight with McGregor. He was defending his lightweight champion title. The UFC reportedly used Khabib Nurmagomedov as a potential opponent to push Alvarez to accept the McGregor fight on their terms.
Alvarez did fight McGregor. But he says this kind of strong-arm tactic is pretty standard.
“That’s their game,” Alvarez said. “They can’t just have two guys involved and know they’re going to fight each other. Because if they know that, they can demand, ‘Hey, I want this much.’ So they always get a third or fourth or fifth guy involved to beat your price down to nothing. [Laughs.] I think that’s what’s happening.”
He continued, “If Mike Chandler knows he’s fighting Conor, if Conor knows he’s fighting Chandler, then they can negotiate for that fight. So I think a third or fourth or fifth player is coming along that we didn’t hear about yet. So they both get beat down to nothing. Not literally, but so they both don’t try to negotiate a dollar over what their contracts are worth. That’s what’s happening.”
Currently, it’s still a mystery what’s causing the delay in fight booking. McGregor officially re-entered the USADA testing pool this past October. He’ll be eligible to compete again in April 2024. Alvarez wouldn’t be surprised if McGregor keeps delaying any announcement, even if he plans on fighting soon.
“Conor, he holds the cards and he gets to say when it happens,” Alvarez said. “Look, if I’m Conor, I’m not telling my opponent when I’m fighting him either if I don’t f****** have to. I’ll let him know when I feel like it’s my time to let him know.”
McGregor’s last fight was at UFC 264. He broke his leg in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier.