Michael Chandler has explained how his anniversary with his wife inspired the ‘new date’ for his long-awaited fight with Conor McGregor.
The former Bellator champion has been chasing UFC legend McGregor for years. He narrowly missed out on a meeting with the Irishman last summer when their clash in Las Vegas was canceled over a broken toe.
However, things haven’t worked out too well for Chandler since then; he lost first to Charles Oliveira in November before being brutalized in the co-main event of UFC 314 by Paddy Pimblett last month. But he yesterday teased a new fight date for the McGregor bout which excited fans.
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Michael Chandler explains the touching reason he wants to fight Conor McGregor on new date
Michael Chandler teased in a cryptic Threads message yesterday that he could fight Conor McGregor on January 24 next year. He has now revealed that the date has significance as his anniversary with wife Brie, as well as sharing that date with another unnamed close friend.
“What’s really funny is I was sitting down with a buddy and we have the same exact anniversary,” Chandler explained to MMAJunkie’s Mike Bohn in his first interview since losing to Paddy Pimblett last month.
“So I looked it up and said ‘I wonder if by chance it’s a Saturday and then maybe the UFC would throw a show on a Saturday. January 24 is my wife and my anniversary and it just so happens to be a Saturday, so it seems like ‘let’s throw that out there’ and speak it into existence.
“It’s the turn of the new year, probably a new TV deal that these guys are working on, I’m sure they’re working on something.”
Michael Chandler insists he isn’t losing sleep over Conor McGregor fight
For years it became a meme that Chandler was wasting the final years of his career waiting for a fight that would never come due to McGregor’s extra-curricular activities. However, he promises that it hasn’t occupied his mind too much outside of regular interview questions.
“I get asked about it in almost every single interview,” Chandler continued. “And rightfully so because the Conor-Chandler thing just stays alive. Just a couple weeks ago he was saying ‘Iron Michael Chandler, unfinished business’.
“It’s not just the fact that we had the contract, we were supposed to fight last June and we did The Ultimate Fighter, we do have to finish that.
“So it just keeps staying alive even though it’s one of those deals where I’m not losing sleep at night trying to get the Conor fight. If me and Conor are going to fight and he’s supposed to come back then it’s going to happen and I don’t need to force it.”