Michael Chandler was booked in to fight Conor McGregor over two years ago, but still is no closer to the sport’s biggest money fight.
It was January of 2023 when former Bellator champion Chandler was announced as coaching opposite McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter season 27. However, it took over a year for the fight to be booked for UFC 303, and just weeks out the Irishman was forced to cancel due to a broken toe.
Since then, Chandler has fought once against Charles Oliveira and is now booked to take on Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314. He still maintains interest in fighting McGregor, but seems to understand it’s an unlikely dream at this point.
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Michael Chandler fears Conor McGregor’s presidential campaign could be end of dream fight
Michael Chandler seems to be the only person still clinging to hope of a fight between he and Conor McGregor ever happening.
However, after the last week which included a visit to the White House and his official announcement of a run for Irish President, it seems the former champion has never been further from a return to the octagon.
“Love him or hate him, Conor is one of the biggest Irish stars, if not the biggest Irish star on the planet,” Chandler told Covers.com. “Having that representative, whether you think he’s a great representative of Ireland or not, he’s still a large name that holds weight.
“To go [to the White House] on St. Paddy’s Day to meet with Trump to convey the struggles that Ireland is going through, and some of the cracks in the Irish Government that Conor’s talking about, plus kind of teasing the Irish Presidency that he’s talked about over the last little while – it’s very interesting.
“We might get President McGregor before we get Chandler versus McGregor. If that happens, I don’t think he’s going to fight at all. I think Conor would love that position of power. He would love that position of celebrity. It’s a new mountain that he can climb, and if he does it’ll be very interesting. I’ll be watching.”
Conor McGregor has announced intention to run for president of Ireland
After his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House this week, Conor McGregor has posed wearing hats emblazoned with the ‘Make Ireland Great Again’ slogan. And he now seems all in on a run for President, announcing his candidacy on social media.
He is considered a major outsider given that he has yet to secure a nomination and is considered one of Ireland’s most polarising celebrities. But he is confident that he can not only win but turn the mainly ceremonial position into one where he can exact real changes.
In a lengthy Instagram post, McGregor said: “This is the future of Ireland with me as President. All citizens of Ireland to have a voice and a choice on their future! God bless our people! Vote McGregor and have your voice heard!”