UFC 303 witnessed a massive drop in the numbers as Conor McGregor had to walk out of his fight against Michael Chandler. Despite breaking the records for the gates with $20+ million, the former UFC double had no choice but to pull out due to an injury. Without a doubt, the news came as a shocker for the entire combat sports community. This seemingly made Chandler a bit desperate for a fight.

‘Iron’ and ‘The Notorious’ officially commenced their rivalry back in 2023, during the shoot for The Ultimate Fighter 31, wherein the fighters coached a team against each other. The Irish mixed martial artist claimed that it would indeed be the greatest comeback as he would return to the Octagon following a three-year-long hiatus. As the fight got canceled, the fighters were left disappointed. And it seems like it took a great toll on Chandler. The Missouri-born fighter has become frantic for a fight and even garnered mockery from many fans. However, Dana White recently declared that Chandler could do whatever he wanted to. And now it seems like the former Bellator champ has found a way to exploit White’s advice.

Michael Chandler hints at potential fight after Conor McGregor pulls out of UFC 303

Left without a fight, the former Bellator champion has expressed his desire to fight for the UFC’s BMF title. He recently sent forth a couple of posts on X that pointed out his intentions regarding his next bouts. The first post that he shared read, “Bravo. Mike. Foxtrot.” Just a couple of minutes later, the mixed martial artist shared another tweet. 

This time, the post had a picture of a gladiator with Chandler’s face photoshopped on him. The text below the gladiator Chandler read, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?”, apparently pointing at the fight fans’ disappointment with his big fight scrapped from the schedule. Needless to say, the caption of the tweet declared his interest to get the BMF belt as he wrote, “Blessed Man Forever.”

Not too long ago, the UFC CEO, in an interview with Jim Rome, sympathized with ‘Iron’. Even though he seemed to think that Chandler wanted to wait for McGregor, White was open to letting the fighter have any fight that he wanted this summer. He said, “I think poor Chandler wants to wait for Conor McGregor man, and uh, you know, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to get a fight this summer, we’ll do whatever he wants. He’s one of the greatest athletes I’ve ever worked with, he’s a good human being, and I like him a lot. Whatever he wants to do, we’ll figure it out for him.” Within a couple of days, Chandler took up White’s advice.

The fighter might just get a chance and redeem himself with the BMF fight, don’t you think? But Chandler’s desperation was reflected in another instance when he recorded a video of himself promising to be present at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, for UFC 303. Let’s take a look at what he said.

‘Iron’ promises to be present for UFC 303

Netizens and fight fans went into a frenzy as Chandler’s video crossed the thresholds of the social media platforms. But what exactly did he say? Even though his fight with the ‘Mystic Mac’ was replaced with the fight between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka, Chandler claimed that the UFC 303 title fight was still his card. “It’s my card. I was my card whenever I signed the bout agreement, signed my name to the piece of paper that said I would be at UFC 303.”

The three-time Bellator lightweight champion then said that he made a promise and committed to be at the event. Even if he was not a contestant anymore, he would not deprive the fans of his presence at the arena. He reasoned that his word was his bond. Now that his desperation has splashed out, with aims towards the BMF belt, the fighting community might witness a showdown between Chandler and the current UFC BMF, Max Holloway. 

Will Dana White let Chandler fight Holloway for the BMF belt? Or will he have to wait till McGregor recovers? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.