LAS VEGAS – His International Fight Week trip to “Sin City” ended up being more for pleasure than business, but michael chandler He said he learned to accept that.
Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) should fight Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in the main fight of UFC 303, at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, a fight that has been building for 18 months. But McGregor withdrew from the fight with a broken toe.
McGregor was scheduled to return from a three-year layoff after suffering a broken leg in July 2021. It was the first time he had pulled out of a UFC fight, and he was criticized by critics for pulling out after being highly critical of opponents or previous rivals for doing the same.
The fight would have been the biggest of Chandler’s career and almost certainly the biggest payday.
“I can honestly say it wasn’t very difficult,” Chandler said of the constant delays and speculation about when they would fight, followed by McGregor’s eventual withdrawal. “It’s International Fight Week, and I took photos and shook hands and met over a thousand fans this weekend, and every single one of them talking about the flights they took, where they came from, the tickets they bought – they all came here to see me fight Connor.
“So obviously I’m constantly reminded of that. But as an athlete, you get really good at compartmentalizing it, and I don’t think it’s affected me as much as most people think. That’s how the world works. That’s how life is. You get knocked down, you get let down, and the true measure of a man is how he stands up in circumstances like that.”
McGregor said he would like to fight in August or September, and the UFC has a show scheduled for September at The Sphere.
It seems that Chandler likes this idea too.
“Sphere would be great,” he said. “10 weeks to go. I’m not a doctor, but I know that little toe doesn’t take long to heal. That would be huge. It seems to me that it will be a unique type of event.
“Dana called it the biggest event in UFC history, and it may never be done (again), and if you want to make the numbers they want, it seems like this fight between me and Conor would fit the bill. I’m not the one making these decisions, but the UFC knows I always have my boots on and I’m ready to go tomorrow if they want to go.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 303.
