Michael Chandler has been waiting nearly two years to face Conor McGregor, but late on Monday night he made a shocking revelation that no one saw coming.
“I've been offered to fight Islam Makhachev in October,” Chandler claimed on Twitter, “But if Conor McGregor's pinky is ready by September, let's make it the Sphere. The biggest sporting event in the history of sports.”
UFC has not commented on Chandler's offer to fight, but Makhachev is expected to fight next in Abu Dhabi in October. All signs point to Arman Tsarukyan getting a chance at the title, but Chandler will likely get the first move if he backs out of a fight with McGregor.
After Chandler continued to tweet about Makhachev, the lightweight champion called Chandler “untrustworthy” and appeared to dismiss the potential challenger.
Incidentally, UFC legend Matt Brown said Chandler would be crazy not to take a title fight if the opportunity presented itself.
“I just don't understand why you wouldn't jump on it and embrace it right now and sign on the dotted line today,” Brown said in the latest episode. Fighter vs. Writer“I can't think of a reason not to do it.”
“Assuming Conor comes back, do you think he wouldn't want to fight you for the title? If you win the title, that definitely sets up a fight for the title. And now it's not just a fight against Conor McGregor, it's a fight against Conor McGregor for the title. What could be better?”
Browne has long suspected McGregor would never fight again, but the Irish superstar is planning his return from a broken pinky finger that forced him to miss UFC 303 last weekend, although there is no set date for exactly when he will actually compete.
UFC CEO Dana White has been adamant that they won't even discuss a date for McGregor's next fight until he's fully healthy.
Plus, McGregor remains the sport's biggest attraction and could face anyone and sell tons of tickets and pay-per-views when he returns after a three-year hiatus. Chandler has been waiting for the chance to face McGregor and reap the big payday that comes with it, but the lightweight championship opportunity could be even bigger in some ways.
“Michael Chandler needed Conor, now he gets a chance for a title fight,” Brown said. “Now he doesn't need Conor. Get your f**king title fight. F**king Conor. GO!”
“Go for the fight. Think about the worst-case scenario. If Islam destroys you in the first round, beats you down, does Conor still want to fight you? You've already lost. Conor wants a tune-up fight. I'm not going to call Chandler a tune-up fight, but that's what Conor says. He thinks, 'This is my redemption fight. This is a good fight for me.' That's what he thinks. No matter what Islam does to you, it's not going to change Conor's mind. I don't think so.”
Chandler's powerful message to McGregor may be a final attempt to force the former two-division UFC champion to set a return date, which remains unknown at this point.
Even if McGregor announces he'll be ready by September, Browne can't imagine Chandler could forego a title fight he would almost certainly miss out on otherwise.
“The only thing I can think of is that Michael Chandler is going to put it out there for us and try to lure Conor out right away,” Brown explained. “This sport moves too fast. He's just got to embrace it. It's insane.”
“If Conor said, 'September is OK,' and turned down the Islam fight, and then I went out and beat Conor in a flash, Islam might have moved on by then. Beating Conor doesn't necessarily get you a title shot. Am I going to have to fight a couple other guys now to get a title shot? I got a big buck, and now I have to fight a couple other guys to get a title shot? Unless UFC promises me a title shot if I beat Conor. Who knows? It just doesn't make sense not to jump at this opportunity right away.”
Considering how Chandler asked the question on social media, it seems like he's still considering whether to fight Makhachev or wait to hear back from McGregor.
Brown sincerely hopes that's not the case. In fact, he believes Chandler is simply taking one final shot at McGregor before announcing he'll fight Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title in October.
“I think Chandler's already made up his mind and he's going to do the Islam fight and now he's just giving Conor a bad rap,” Brown said. “I'm just nudging Conor a little bit and just letting him know. That's how it is. It makes no sense not to do this.”
“You get what you've always wanted. You get a championship fight. You get a chance to make your dream come true. If your dream is to make a little more money, I don't know all the details of the contract, but how much money are you realistically going to make from Conor vs. Islam? It could be a few million dollars, but you're not going to make millions. Chandler will be in that fight. He might just be teasing Conor and poking and prodding him a little. Unless there's something huge that we're missing, he should be in the title fight.”
