Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler: Reality Check for “Red Panty Night” Handed by UFC Insider

Despite Dana White‘s announcement that Michael Chandler will face Conor McGregor on the latter’s UFC comeback, there is no date for that fight till now. Meanwhile, former UFC fighter Josh Thomson joined veteran referee John McCarthy to discuss the significance of this fight. They recently pointed out that this fight may not be as big of a deal for Chandler as some people think it would be.

The fight between Conor McGregor and Michael was supposed to take place last year. However, the Irishman’s USADA struggles kept him out of the fighting world, and recently there even have been claims of a dispute between the former double champion and Dana White regarding his contract. But keeping all these things aside, the main question people are asking is how is this fight going to benefit Chandler. Let’s see what Josh Thomson had to say.

Beating Conor McGregor may not be an impressive feat for Michael Chandler

Conor McGregor was on a roll when he initially joined the UFC. The former double champion racked up seven wins in a row, making him one of the most consistent fighters until he fought Nate Diaz. The Stockton native was the first UFC fighter to defeat McGregor, which he did after taking the fight on short notice. Josh Thomson pointed that out during the latest edition of the ‘Weighing In‘ podcast and said, “When Nate Diaz did it [beat McGregor], it was special. We thought Conor was the man and Nate did it coming in on what? f***ing two weeks notice? That was amazing.”

However, Josh Thomson does believe that the same kind of excitement will be generated when and if Michael Chandler beats Conor McGregor. It is primarily because ‘The Notorious’ has been busy and occupied with things that do not pertain to MMA. “If Chandler did it, I don’t even think we would be impressed. Okay, you beat a dude that’s been doing movies and drinking and partying for three years,” Thomson added. The former UFC fighter also gave his take on the probable financial benefits Chandler could get from the McGregor fight.

Thomson raises doubts regarding ‘red panty night’

Given that Conor McGregor has been inactive for almost three now, Josh Thomson doesn’t believe that his return will be as big as people expect it to be. Moreover, he believes that the chances of a ‘red panty night’ for Michael Chandler look slimmer than ever. Thomson further stated, “There is no real red panty night… we’re beating somebody who’s coming off the couch. Red panty night means like, you’re getting paid more, you’re getting this and you’re getting that.”

The former UFC fighter also appeared to have debunked the myth of the ‘red panty night’ through one of Conor McGregor’s former rivals, Donald Cerrone. ‘Cowboy’ revealed after fighting Conor McGregor in 2020 that he did not get paid more than what was already established in his UFC contract. “It’s the same contract. Donald Cerrone said, ‘I didn’t get paid any more for that fight [against McGregor],” Josh Thomson added.

Michael Chandler has been waiting for a long time now. He seems to be getting desperate, which was evident when he called out Conor McGregor during a recent episode of Monday Night Raw. But will the wait be worth it or should Chandler seek another opponent? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

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