Michael Chandler Finally Moved On From McGregor's Fight, Named Best Alternatives

Former Lightweight contender Michael Chandler had enough of chasing and calling out Conor McGregor, and now he is looking forward to his next best option in the UFC. Though he is optimistic about the whole situation and is ready to fight McGregor at any point, he is not going to wait anymore, as it’s been close to 2 years now since Michael Chandler fought last. Chandler’s last fight in the UFC happened in 2022 at UFC 281, where he got choked out by Dustin Poirier in round 3; that was Chandler’s third loss in his 5 fights in the UFC so far. Since then, he and Conor McGregor coached at The Ultimate Fighter 31 and were scheduled to fight to end the season, but that didn’t happen.

This year, he got too close to getting his “lottery fight,” as both were scheduled to headline the UFC 303, but Conor McGregor pulled out from the fight due to an injured pinky toe weeks before the fight. Chandler was disheartened by the pull-out and criticized McGregor on social media, and a lot of back-and-forth followed. But so far, there hasn’t been any official confirmation from the UFC about whether or not this much-awaited fight will ever come to fruition.

“I am an optimist by default, so I do believe the Conor fight will happen. Right now, we are in a period where things are being talked about. What date? Is it Conor? Is it pivoting to a different fight? Is it making the best decision for me and my family? I love the idea that Conor and I did The Ultimate Fighter, we had a training camp, we signed on the dotted line. But as much as I respect Conor, my legacy is not hinged upon this fight. I am running my own race, and I’m continuing to move forward. I am at the point now where we are looking at all of the options and not just fighting Conor.
Chandler told Lucky Block

“Iron” named his next best option if the Conor fight doesn’t happen. After such a long break from the fight, he sees Charles Oliveira as his best option for his comeback in the Octagon. Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler fought at UFC 262, in which Charles Oliveira defeated Chandler via second-round KO to win the lightweight belt.