Daniel Cormier vented some of his frustrations over the never-ending struggle to get Conor McGregor back inside the Octagon despite the Irishman’s insistence on returning.
Closing in on two years removed from his last Octagon appearance, Conor McGregor has managed to stay in the headlines with a constant barrage of tweet-and-delete rants aimed at practically every fighter currently signed by the promotion and even a few who aren’t. Of course, that’s nothing new for the former champ-champ, but MMA fans were hopeful that a return was imminent when the UFC revealed that McGregor would appear on the latest season of the long-running reality series The Ultimate Fighter.
McGregor signed on the dotted line to coach opposite the man he was expected to throw hands with at the end of the year, Michael Chandler. However, that matchup is barely hanging on by a thread at this point, with McGregor both failing to re-enter the USADA testing pool for a 2023 return and being accused of sexually assaulting a woman shortly after Game 4 of the NBA Finals earlier this month.
Speaking on the situation through his YouTube channel, UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier seemingly revealed through his sources that McGregor is no longer interested in fighting Michael Chandler. While it’s debatable as to whether or not McGregor had any real interest in the fight from the get-go, Cormier questions why McGregor would agree to take the TUF spot and the fight only to back out months later after stringing Chandler, the promotion, and the fans along.
“They’re supposed to fight at the end of the show, but now Conor McGregor finds himself in one of those situations that he has started to find himself in a little bit far too frequently for our liking as mixed martial arts fans,” Cormier said, referencing the recent sexual assault allegations made against McGregor.
“But, for as concerning as his out-of-the-Octagon things are, one thing that also raises my ears and my eyebrows and everything else that makes me suspicious is that now I’m hearing you don’t want to fight Michael Chandler.
“What was the purpose of The Ultimate Fighter? What was the purpose of taking The Ultimate Fighter, doing the show, and taking the fight? One of those holdups is that Conor still, at this point, has not gotten into USADA testing. Michael Chandler for himself, is trying to figure out why. What’s taking so long? ‘Get it done, my guy. I want the fight.’ Why does Conor now not want to fight Chandler? Especially in a fight that seems like it’s pretty much tailor-made for him.”
Guys today I got into Micheal Chandler and how he needs to approach the Mcgregor situation. I also talk about Sean O’Malley and his thoughts on the Sandhagen vs Umar fight. I also talk a little about Zillow saying he would finish Volk in the first round. Live at 6:30 eastern… pic.twitter.com/xDAepP7Sud
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) June 21, 2023
Daniel Cormier Does Not Want to See Michael Chandler Give Up on His Fight with Conor McGregor
The reason why McGregor has not yet re-entered the USADA testing pool is still up for speculation, but with the Irishman’s name connected to a disturbing and violent sexual assault accusation, it’s possible McGregor is choosing to stay out of the limelight for a bit. It’s even possible that the UFC has no interest in moving forward with things until the Miami police department completes its investigation.
Whatever the reason may be, there is only one victim on the business side of things, and it is Michael Chandler. Emerging as a fan favorite for his high-octane style of fighting, many fans were excited to see him cash in on a massive payday after years of putting on fan-friendly scraps.
Though it would be easy and understandable for Chandler to simply walk away from the situation, Cormier strongly suggests Chandler continue to fight for what would undoubtedly be the biggest payday of his career, even advising the typically clean-cut Chandler to start playing a little dirty with the Irishman.
“Make it happen, Mike. Do not let this fight fall by the wayside,” Cormier said. “Continue to poke. Continue to prod. Dare I say, be a little bit disrespectful to get Conor McGregor to fight you because if I know one thing when you insult McGregor, his pride makes him want to step up and take it to you. I think that might be the way Michael Chandler solidifies even though that’s very out of his element in regards to the way he usually approaches fights.”
Do you think Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is going to happen, or is it time for all parties to move on?
