Michael Chandler has found himself in a rough spot with the fans after the cancellation of his UFC 303 bout against Conor McGregor! The pair were originally scheduled to face each other after the conclusion of TUF 31 last year, however, issues with McGregor’s drug testing status and subsequent obligations with his Hollywood venture led to the fight being delayed to June 29, 2024. But the MMA world was sent into a frenzy when the June 3rd Dublin pre-fight press conference was abruptly canceled, leading to a massive wave of speculation surrounding the possible cancellation of the UFC 303 main event, as well.

The fandom’s worst fears later came true when UFC CEO Dana White took to social media to announce that ‘The Notorious’ is out of his fight against Chandler and UFC 303 will now feature a rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka, instead. In a statement released after the announcement, Conor McGregor stated on X, “I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time to heal than was available to me. The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but one made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC, and my team.”

So where does that leave Michael Chandler? In a clip shared on Instagram by the ‘Championship Rounds’ account, Dana White revealed, “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.”

Despite White’s supportive stance, the MMA community has been less than forgiving. Fans took to social media to make their thoughts known on Chandler’s decision to wait for McGregor and a large section of the fandom seems to think that ‘Iron Mike’ may not have made the right choice in being adamant on fighting the Irishman! Here’s a look at what the community had to say.

Michael Chandler gets blasted by the fans as Dana White reveals ‘Iron’ wants “wait for Conor McGregor” 

Fans pointed out that in their opinion, waiting for Conor McGregor isn’t a good move for Chandler due to the backlash he has received from the MMA fandom

“LMAO this bad for chandler everyone trolling him at this point even his own boss”

Other fans brought up the fact that Chandler may not receive the ‘payday’ he might be hoping for due to public interest in a McGregor fight being at an all-time low due to his time away from the Octagon and the issues with his return getting constantly derailed

“He’s not getting paid in that Conor fight, because the amount of people that are actually gonna buy it is gonna be significantly less than what Conor normally does because nobody is expecting a Conor comeback”

Some used McGregor’s words from his interaction with Chandler during a TUF episode when the Irishman had stated, “You’ll do what you’re told”, during a discussion about the weight class for their clash

“And Conor was right. He’ll do what he is told. “

One fan brought up the fact that so far in his UFC career, Michael Chandler has come up short against elite lightweights like Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier, and as such, ‘Iron’ wants to “wait” for McGregor due to his extended time away from the competition with his last win inside the Octagon coming in 2020

“Chandler know he can’t compete at top level,that’s why he wait Conor no matter what..”

The general sentiment amongst the fanbase is that Chandler’s time waiting for McGregor hasn’t helped his MMA career

“Not a very wise career move”

Some even brought up the fact that Chandler hasn’t fought since his loss to Dustin Poirier in 2022, and as such, he has “wasted his prime” in the wait for McGregor to make his return

“Bro wasted his prime to fight a washed Connor that’s never getting back in the octagon”

Fans also claimed the entire situation is “sad” as according to them Chandler deserves a shot at the top 5 of the lightweight division, which is a bold claim as ‘Iron Mike’ has only won 2-fights in his UFC run so far

“Thats really sad god. Chandler deserves a top 5 shot he’s letting the prime slip by”

In conclusion, Michael Chandler’s decision to wait for a fight with Conor McGregor has stirred considerable debate within the MMA community. While Dana White supports Chandler’s autonomy in making career decisions, fans and analysts remain divided in their opinion. Some see it as a financially driven move, while others view it as a missed opportunity to compete at the highest level. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how this saga will play out as there have been indications by the UFC that the McGregor vs Chandler bout may be re-scheduled for later this year.

What are your thoughts on Michael Chandler sitting out to wait for the Conor McGregor fight? Share them with us in the comments below!