Michael Chandler might be wasting his time waiting for Conor McGregor – at least, that's what Demetrious Johnson says.
Chandler is scheduled to fight McGregor in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29. Chandler has been waiting 18 months for the bout but it took an unexpected turn over the weekend, when his pre-fight press conference in Dublin on Monday was postponed at the last minute with little explanation given as to why. Speculation immediately flared that the bout was in jeopardy, and while Johnson believes the bout will ultimately happen, he acknowledges that Chandler may have been waiting this long without doing anything.
“We'll see what happens. Ultimately, that's the worst part about this,” Johnson said. MMA Hour. “If I were Chandler… as an athlete, I make money by competing. I can't remember the last time Chandler competed. I don't know if he competed against Charles. [Oliveira] Or Dustin [Poirier] Or Justin [Gaethje]I don't know. It doesn't come to mind. So for me, he's just sitting on the sidelines waiting to fight Conor McGregor, which may never happen.
“Connor might say, [in a McGregor impersonation] “Fuck! I don't want your fucking money! Nobody wants your money! I'm on a fucking yacht!” That could happen, and Chandler has been waiting a long time. [for nothing]… Well, that does happen. That's how I feel right now. I feel like Chandler is wasting his time.”
Chandler competed at UFC 281 in November 2022, losing to Dustin Poirier via rear-naked choke. After that bout, Chandler served as a coach. Ultimate Fighter 31 Chandler was set to face McGregor in 2023. The bout was rumored on and off over the last year, but the goalposts kept getting pushed back and it was never actually booked. All the while, Chandler has been waiting in hope that the fight he's been eyeing since joining UFC in 2020 would finally come to fruition.
The question is whether Chandler will wait around for McGregor, even though the 38-year-old is already 18 months out from fighting and near the end of his career, and as Johnson points out, the financial benefits of waiting for McGregor are very attractive.
“This is definitely the biggest payday of his career,” Johnson said. “I think we all agree on that. Like Dustin said, what is he fighting for? Does he want to be world champion or does he want that big mega-fight? That's for him to decide. I can't make that decision for him. What would I do? I don't know his financial situation, so I don't know.”
“It's a tough fight. If I beat Conor in a mega-fight, it opens up a lot more doors for me than if I beat Justin Gaethje. The biggest star in MMA is Conor McGregor, we can all agree on that. This motherfucker doesn't fight at all, but he's still the biggest star.”
UFC 303 will take place on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will conclude UFC's 2024 International Fight Week.
