There are two crucial dates coming quickly for Michael Chandler, however sadly neither give him an actual timeline for his long-awaited battle with Conor McGregor.
First up is April 24, when Chandler turns 38 years previous. Subsequent is November 12, which might mark two full years since Chandler final competed within the UFC. In different phrases, Chandler isn’t getting any youthful and he can’t make up that misplaced time, but he stays steadfast in his want to remain sidelined till he can lastly get his fingers on McGregor.
UFC analyst and retired welterweight Alan Jouban argues that at this level, Chandler actually has no selection however to proceed ready for McGregor — even when meaning not preventing once more till the tip of 2024.
“You take a look at Michael Chandler, you’ve bought to carry out, for my part,” Jouban mentioned on the most recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Author. “At 38 years previous, you say I waited two or three years for this big Conor battle, this big payday, and now I’m going to take a seat out all this time and never get the reward? I’m going to place that apart and return to a contract negotiated cost battle towards any person within the prime 10?
“Possibly Chandler has one or two fights left in him. I don’t know what he will get paid, but when he’s going to return to a pay scale the place he’s going to make $100,000 or $200,000 and battle two powerful guys, or he can keep on with what he’s doing and get a few million {dollars} to battle Conor McGregor with all these query marks surrounding him — you’ve bought to remain the course and battle Conor McGregor.”
Regardless of not preventing since 2022, Chandler has nonetheless managed to remain within the highlight by way of appearances, interviews, and companies he’s began in his down time.
Most not too long ago, he popped up on WWE Uncooked, the place he unleashed a fiery promo geared toward McGregor in entrance of a packed home in Anaheim, Calif. That doesn’t essentially soothe the sting of sitting for practically two years and nonetheless ready on a date for the battle, however Jouban believes Chandler has not less than made the perfect out of a foul state of affairs.
“All these alternatives that got here up that in all probability weren’t going to be there earlier than the Conor factor,” Jouban defined. “He did The Final Fighter, bought a number of publicity from that. He was on ESPN quite a bit doing interviews. The WWE factor, TKO Group coming collectively in search of guys precisely like Michael Chandler, he nailed that. I don’t suppose any fighter within the UFC might have reduce a promo fairly like that. Not simply doing so nicely, however he took his model of constructing a sizzling mic second and he merged that with the WWE world. He appeared like a wrestler that had completed that earlier than.
“For a man who hasn’t been in a position to battle for thus lengthy and he’s holding onto this battle so carefully, he has been in a position to monetize from it, he’s been in a position to generate income. He’s been having appearances. His model has continued to develop and he’s been in a position to spend time together with his household, let accidents on his physique heal and get stronger.”
As a lot because it might sound that Chandler is the jilted promenade date who continues to attend for a limousine to choose him up regardless of the dance already being over, Jouban doesn’t precisely see it that means.
When McGregor lastly fights once more, he’ll return following a fair longer layoff — July will mark three years since his final look — and he’s getting back from a devastating damaged leg suffered in his trilogy battle with Dustin Poirier.
McGregor stays the largest draw within the sport so he might battle virtually anyone and promote tickets, pay-per-views, and merchandise, however he undoubtedly desires to make a profitable comeback. Trying on the panorama at light-weight and even welterweight proper now, there are not any layups amongst any of the highest fighters in both division, however not less than Chandler’s model offers him a greater likelihood to win.
“I don’t care what anybody says about this, I don’t see Conor coming again and ever wanting like he used to,” Jouban mentioned. “He’s not. He’s been away too lengthy. His physique has modified drastically. He’s had a extreme kind of life-altering harm. Guys which have these kind of accidents, they don’t come again and throw kicks the identical.
“Do I really feel like he’s absolutely recovered? He’s again to as robust as he’ll ever be transferring on from this harm. However with the time that has passed by, the harm, not being energetic, the physique change, no matter he was taking whereas he [recovered] — I’m not even going to get into that, however his physique clearly modified, he was taking some stuff, he placed on 20 kilos of muscle, he did the film, he’s arising, happening on weight — he’s not going to be the identical man. Conor doesn’t wish to go in there and battle a Mateusz Gamrot, battle certainly one of these Arman Tsarukyan, younger, hungry lions which might be nonetheless within the prime, the height of their careers. He wants a 38-year-old Michael Chandler that can step in there and step into the hearth and go to conflict with him. They want one another.”
Nothing in regards to the state of affairs is right, particularly with Chandler already sitting out for practically two years whereas he’s nonetheless wholesome and able to compete. However Jouban says an excessive amount of time has already handed to only quit and transfer on to a unique battle.
“It could suck on the finish of the day for Chandler to not get rewarded with this battle,” Jouban mentioned. “However that is the absolute best end result ready for a battle for [two] years than any fighter might have by way of the reward he might obtain.”