UFC 314 is just hours away, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most stacked cards of the year. The event will take place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, with the headline fight featuring the vacant featherweight title bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. While that bout is generating plenty of buzz, it’s the co-main event between Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett that has captured the most attention. Why? Because Chandler has become a polarizing figure in the UFC. Moreover, the Englishman’s sharp jabs about the Missouri native’s murky “cheating” history have already drawn significant fan interest.

Adding to the drama is the involvement of UFC megastar Conor McGregor. The Irishman and Chandler have had a complicated history, with Michael spending nearly two years waiting for a fight at UFC 303 with the Irishman that never came to fruition. Despite their past and the uncertainty of a future matchup, Conor McGregor is throwing his support behind Michael Chandler for UFC 314.

The former double champ recently shared a short clip on Instagram, where he threw his support behind ‘Iron’ Mike by placing a $500K wager on Chandler to knock out Paddy Pimblett—a bet that could pay out $2.5 million’. In the video, McGregor said, “What’s up, everybody? It’s the one and only Notorious Double G! Just want to wish you all a great fight night tonight—and come through with my bet for the evening. The fight I’m most interested in? Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett. I’m going to go with Michael Chandler to win—and win by KO. Although Paddy has improved in his last few outings, I still fancy Chandler to do it.”

Even though the Irishman has taken a step back from fighting, he’s still found a way to stay connected to the sport—through betting. His passion for high-stakes wagers came to light when he teamed up with gambling platform Duelbits, and since then, he’s been anything but shy about putting big money on the line for major events. Back in July, Conor McGregor claimed he raked in over $8 million purely from betting—a claim he backed up by sharing screenshots of his winnings on social media.

Some of his biggest scores came from betting on the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing bout, the Copa América, and the 2024 Euro Cup. But perhaps his boldest win came when he bet on Carlos Alcaraz to defeat Novak Djokovic, reportedly making him one of the wealthiest UFC fighters through sports betting alone. Riding that wave of success, McGregor also placed a hefty bet on the UFC 307 main event between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr.

But not all bets can hit. His fortune flipped later that year at UFC 308, where he put money on Max Holloway, Robert Whittaker to win by KO over Ilia Topuria, and Khamzat Chimaev—all of which ended in disappointment, marking one of his biggest betting flops to date. Now, with Conor McGregor expressing renewed “interest” in the Michael Chandler fight, it looks like “Iron” Chandler has his own message lined up for the Notorious.

Michael Chandler responds to Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 314

Michael Chandler was arguably the most affected by Conor McGregor’s prolonged absence from the Octagon. After all, he put his own career on pause for nearly two years, holding out hope for a mega-fight that never materialized. Yet, despite the delays and uncertainty, Chandler remained optimistic—openly stating his plan to once again call out McGregor following his UFC 314 bout. “I’m going to do my job in April and I’ll call out Conor McGregor again,” he declared.

But with McGregor recently showing some “interest” in the UFC 314 co-main event between Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett, the narrative took an interesting turn. During the pre-fight press conference, Chandler appeared to shift gears—this time delivering a pointed message to the Irish superstar.

“I’m sure he’s watching,” ‘Iron’ said. “He watches, and he’s very interested in coming back—but can he put together a training camp? That’s the real question. We don’t know. What I do know is, you can look at my actions—fighting Charles Oliveira in November, and now stepping up again just five months later against Paddy Pimblett. I’m putting my ranking on the line, stepping into the unknown, and staying active.”

What’s your prediction for the Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett showdown at UFC 314? Will Conor McGregor’s bet turn into another massive win—or crash and burn like his last gamble? Share your thoughts in the comments!