One of the most anticipated fights in the world of mixed martial arts this year was the one between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. The scheduled fight had the entire MMA realm in high entropy. However, bad luck struck the matchup as the ‘Mystic Mac’ got his pinky toe broken and was forced to pull out of the fight weeks before the date. Needless to say, Chandler was the one who was disappointed the most, despite the severe criticism he faced from the fighting community. 

The duo have gone back and forth against each other and their rivalry emanated quite a bit of heat. However, after months of getting no confirmation about the matchup with ‘The Notorious’, ‘Iron’ eyes the other fighters in his division.

Michael Chandler moves on from Conor McGregor

On the 13th of August 2024, the former Bellator FC lightweight champion revealed his thoughts on the fight with the Irish MMA star. It’s definitely not the first time when Chandler expressed his great disappointment at not being able to fight McGregor. But now, he seems to have finally moved on, as he takes a look at the other prospects standing in his way to the championship belt. 

Talking to Lucy Block, Chandler revealed that the fight between him and McGregor was still a possibility. However, things were yet to jump to the next phase. He said, “As much as I respect Conor, my legacy is not hinged upon this fight. I am running my own race, and I’m continuing to move forward. I am at the point now where we are looking at all of the options and not just fighting Conor.” 

Chandler didn’t want to make it sound like he wasn’t laser-focused on fighting the Irish mixed martial artist. But the former UFC double champion has yet to sign the contract with the MMA promotion. Nevertheless, ‘Iron’ claimed that he was excited to take the fight to the Octagon. But if it’s not McGregor, Chandler believes that he’s ready to take on anyone else. He continued, “I’m training every day, and I’m in the best shape that I have been in a very long time, and I’m ready to go out there whether it’s Conor or someone else. There’s always going to be life after Conor if this fight never comes to fruition.”

This is definitely not the first time when Chandler cast his doubts on the matchup against McGregor. Let’s find out what he previously said.

‘Iron’ has accepted the fate of his matchup with ‘The Notorious’

McGregor is infamous for being a party animal. But his actions at a recent BKFC event had Chandler admit that the fight was not going to materialize. The ‘Mystic Mac’ donned a bald head and took on a look that looked like the UFC head honcho, Dana White. McGregor was already out of action for about 3 years when the talks about his matchup with ‘Iron’ began. And to say the least, he has also been occupied by several other business ventures and his Hollywood debut, ‘Roadhouse’. Regardless, the Irishman has now hinted that he would be returning to Hollywood for a sequel of the movie. 

This led Chandler to give up on the possibility of fighting McGregor. The 38-year-old took to X and wrote, “Never mind guys…I think it’s time I finally admit the fight is off. He’s still in stage 2 of the 7 of grief pertaining to his career being over. Figured he’d be closer to 5 by now. Godspeed @TheNotoriousMMA.”

Do you think the fight between Chandler and McGregor will ever happen? Or will it go down in history as a fight that never materialized? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.