Michael Chandler is willing to remain on the sidelines if he can land a Conor McGregor fight.
Chandler has been calling out McGregor for a while now ever since his knockout win over Tony Ferguson back in May.
Of course, McGregor hasn’t competed since July last year as he continues to recover from a broken leg suffered in his trilogy against Dustin Poirier.
However, the Irishman is seemingly closing in on a return as he is now training in all facets of MMA as per head coach John Kavanagh.
And for Chandler, the sport is much better when there’s an active McGregor in it.
“The sport is better, and the organization and our lightweight division is better when Conor McGregor is part of it,” Chandler told TMZ (via MMA Junkie). “That being said, he needs to come back at the right time.”
While McGregor is seemingly training again, there is still no word on a potential return date or who he could end up facing.
The former two-weight champion has options as always, but Chandler believes he’s the only fitting choice for McGregor right now.
“I do think it opens up the door,” Chandler said. “If Conor’s coming back anytime soon – you know I’m not booked right now. If Conor’s coming back anytime soon, I think me and Conor would make some fireworks, and it’s a fight that fans want to see.
“I think it’s the biggest fight that we can make in mixed martial arts right now. And I try to say that as humbly as possible, but I think it’s a huge fight.”
Michael Chandler To Stay Patient
The lightweight title is also a goal for Chandler, and with Charles Oliveira taking on Islam Makhachev for the vacant strap in October, the former Bellator champion could potentially stake a claim to face the winner.
With that said, Chandler is willing to wait as long as early 2023 if it can land him his desired fight with McGregor.
“I’ll definitely wait until January, February,” Chandler said. “But at this point, I mean, if he’s not coming back and there’s no guarantee that the fight is happening to put those pieces of the puzzle together to make those two stars align at the right time, at the right place, I would have to move on. …
“I think me and Conor happens no matter what eventually. It’s gonna happen down the line. I don’t know if it’s next.”
Do you think we’ll see Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler in the near future?
