Michael Chandler has recently revealed a twist in his ongoing saga with Conor McGregor! The MMA sphere was sent into a frenzy when the Irish MMA icon suffered an injury to his toe, prompting the cancellation of his highly awaited return to the Octagon against Chandler at UFC 303. In a press conference after UFC Saudi Arabia, UFC CEO Dana White stated, “What about September? What about October? He’s not ready. So why even talk about that?” referring to the possible timeline for McGregor’s return.

As such, in a recent post on X, Chandler has claimed that the UFC has come up with another intriguing offer for him instead of McGregor. Now, UFC analyst and veteran, Chael Sonnen has provided his insight into why Michael Chandler might get a lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev instead of his long-awaited clash with Conor McGregor.

Chael Sonnen shares his unique perspective on Michael Chandler’s current situation in the UFC 

In a post made on X, Michael Chandler stated, “I’ve been offered @MAKHACHEVMMA in October – but if @TheNotoriousMMA little pinky toe is ready by Sept, let’s do sphere. Biggest sporting event in history of sports!!!!  @RiyadhSeason #ufc306”

This situation has now become a hot topic of speculation for the MMA fandom and Chael Sonnen broke down the dynamics behind the title shot offer for Chandler. In a video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen started by highlighting an unusual scenario: “If I told you the number one contender is coming off a loss, it’s rare in any division.”, referring to the fact that Chandler’s last fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 ended in a loss for ‘Iron Mike’.

However, the UFC veteran then emphasized, “I mean, don’t forget this isn’t exactly apple to apples, the fight with Conor McGregor was going to be at welterweight and the world title fight is going to be going on at lightweight, like these aren’t really interchangeable which is why it’s so important that you’re hearing the quiet part.”

Sonnen also speculated that once Chandler received the offer to fight Makhachev, the McGregor fight was taken off the table and further noted that, “Well, when he comes back we want to give him you, well, when and if he comes back we don’t really want to be locked into any corner but as of right now, it is you because that’s he deal we’ve made so amongst other reasons we’d like you to fight Islam that will be another chip that comes off of the board.”

In summary, Chael Sonnen’s insights paint an interesting picture of how Michael Chandler can find himself facing off against Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title despite not being the clear no.1 contender in the division. But what does the champion have to say about taking on ‘Iron Mike’?

Chandler not considered a “real opponent” by the lightweight champion

Islam Makhachev made a statement with a dominant victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 by submitting ‘The Diamond’ in the fifth round. Now, with just one more win needed to surpass his mentor and friend, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s consecutive title defense record in the division, he has made a surprising response to Michael Chandler’s claim of being next in line for a shot at the champ.

After Chandler had recently posted on X about being offered a title fight against Makhachev in October, the Dagestani champion responded by stating, “You are unreliable dude, one tweet from your master, and you’ll run away. Champ needs real opponent.”

But with the lightweight division’s top contender Arman Tsarukyan being handed a 9-month ban for his altercation with a fan during his walk-out at UFC 300, it remains to be seen if the UFC will push for the Chandler fight instead. Do you think Michael Chandler will wait for Conor McGregor or he will take a shot at championship glory by going up Islam Makhachev instead? Share your thoughts in the comments below.