Michael Chandler has finally reacted to Dana White dashing Chandler’s enduring hope of fighting Conor McGregor.
Both fighters had verbally confirmed and reaffirmed multiple times that they will fight on June 14, when the promotion heads to the South Lawn of the White House. With ‘The Notorious’ back in training, in the pool, and vowing to live in the gym ahead of his much-anticipated comeback, fans were convinced that the fight was finally happening.
However, Dana White crushed all hopes by opining that he’s no longer interested in making it happen.
After the Chandler bout was verbally scrapped, Conor Gregor was rumored to fight Jorge Masvidal. However, the UFC CEO also put a stop to that idea.
Michael Chandler recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and gave his honest reaction to Dana White’s comments. ‘Iron,’ said:
“My reaction is we will see. We will see how this whole thing plays out. Obviously, nobody has any idea what the fights are going to be on the White House card… We will see. Is that 100% how it’s going to be? Me and Conor not fighting at the White House? I don’t know. All I know is I can control what I can control.”
The 39-year-old added:
“Obviously, it’s not encouraging. It’s not great to hear. I’ve also heard many things that were discouraging at the time but turned out to be untrue or just flat-out false. We just keep on going, man. Until the fights get announced, until Conor McGregor gets announced, and until his next opponent is announced, or until I do or do not get announced as his next opponent or do or do not get announced as being on the White House Card, all we can do is hope and pray.”
Check out Michael Chandler’s comments below:
Dana White has confirmed that matchmaking for the White House Card will commence on Monday, and the card will be finalized by the second week of February.
Meanwhile, the Irishman has been sharing training footage, showcasing his current physique and signaling to the promotion that he’s fully locked in and ramping up preparations for a potential June 14 comeback.
Michael Chandler has no PLAN B
Michael Chandler also revealed to Ariel Helwani that he has no plan B if the UFC doesn’t announce Conor McGregor as his next opponent. He added:
“I don’t have a plan B. I don’t have a plan B until plan A is a 100% exhausted. That’s kind of where we are at right now. I’m formulating my blocks and my training and my diet and all that stuff leading up to June. Right now, that’s the plan. Fighting Conor at the White House. But until that train gets completely derailed… We will see.”
Check out Michael Chandler’s comments below:
Chandler and McGregor served as opposing head coaches on TUF 31 in 2023. After that, to complete the saga, they were booked to headline UFC 303. However, the bout had to be scrapped after the Dubliner pulled out due to a toe injury.
‘Iron’ fought twice after that and lost in both outings. ‘The Notorious’, on the other hand, has not entered the octagon after breaking his leg at UFC 264 opposite Dustin Poirier.
Fans can still hold out hope that the fight comes together as Michael Chandler expects, especially if Dana White’s comments prove to be untrue, which is entirely possible given the UFC’s tendency to keep plans under wraps until the final moment to maximize hype.
