UFC fan favorite Michael Chandler is just weeks away from his long-awaited return to the Octagon, as he takes on Charles Oliveira in the UFC 309 co-main event on December 7.
Michael Chandler hasn’t stepped foot in a UFC Octagon since November of 2022, making it the longest layoff of his incredible 15 year MMA career.
‘Iron’ Mike was handpicked by the promotion to welcome Conor McGregor back to the fight game last year, but the of course fight didn’t come to fruition after the two faced off on The Ultimate Fighter.
After ‘The Notorious’ withdrew from their scheduled UFC 303 fight earlier this year due to a broken toe, Chandler decided to cut his losses and take a fight against Charles Oliveira instead of waiting any longer.
Michael Chandler reveals what he told Jon Jones during conversation at UFC 306
With Chandler deciding to return without McGregor, the UFC offered him a rematch against the man who beat him for the interim lightweight title back in 2021.
The 38-year-old has claimed that Dana White had told him that with a win over ‘Do Bronx’ at UFC 309, he will secure himself a shot at the lightweight title.
This past September, Chandler attended the promotion’s huge UFC 306 event at the Sphere where he bumped into the man he will share the UFC 309 card with, Jon Jones.
Jones is scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in the main event in a fight that has divided the opinion’s of the fanbase.
With ‘Iron’ Chandler known for his extremely exciting fight style, he always has the capability to steal the show, and ‘Bones’ has politely asked him to not do so on December 7.
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“It’s a huge blessing to be considered for the Madison Square Garden card, they don’t just throw anybody on the Madison Square Garden card, the UFC puts guys and gals on the fight card that are gonna put on a great show,” Chandler explained to New York Post Sports.
“I saw Jon Jones at UFC 306 at the Sphere, we said hi, took a picture together, you know, the main and co-main (event) and he’s like, ‘Hey man, make sure you save some excitement for me because I’m the main event’, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, probably not man I’m coming to steal the show’,” Chandler continued.
Michael Chandler vows to ‘systematically break down’ Charles Oliveira in rematch
After coming up short first time round against the Brazilian, Chandler may need to adjust his gameplan this time around if he is hoping for a different result.
Having said that, hopeful of earning himself a shot at the lightweight champion, the 38-year-old will likely need an exciting finish to guarantee the title shot.
“I wasn’t where I needed to be (in the first fight), I went in there very confident, I put in a good training camp but I went out there and tried to kill Charles Oliveira in the first second of the first round, 10-8’d him in the first round and just wasn’t able to keep that pace, I made a bad decision.
“I’ve since fixed all of those things, mainly mentally and spiritually and I just think it’s gonna be a masterful performance and I think I’m gonna surgically and systematically break this man down until he looks for the exit sign,” Chandler claimed.