Michael Chandler recently disclosed that a contract has not yet been finalized for the highly anticipated bout against Conor McGregor scheduled for June.
When McGregor announced last week that he would be taking on Chandler and that the match would take place at 185 pounds, it seemed as if his much anticipated UFC return was official.
According to McGregor, the match would take place as the main event of International Fight Week in Las Vegas. McGregor had posted a video on social media stating that the match which had been initially planned for February 2023, had finally been scheduled for June.
Expressing his stance to ESPN, Chandler acknowledged the absence of a confirmed agreement. Although Chandler expressed his likelihood of the match materializing, he emphasized the unpredictability of the sport.
Chandler said: “I’m leaving my family here in the next couple of weeks to head down to Florida to get into fight camp, the fight camp that has been looming now for a year. I’ll do a week or so in January, a week or so in February, a week or so in March, then all of April, May and June, I’m there in Florida.”
“I have 100 per cent confidence that I’m fighting Conor McGregor on 29 June. 29 June, we take this dude’s head off. With that being said, it’s a crazy sport. Injuries and sicknesses happen. The fight isn’t actually happening until both of us are in the cage.”
Chandler continued by addressing the recent footage of McGregor where his opponent called it “the greatest comeback of all time.”
Chandler said: “Is it gonna be another troll job? Is it gonna be another ‘Conor as the centre of attention’ deal? Is it gonna be silence? What tactic is he gonna use again to keep everybody on the edge of their seats, not just me?”
“He’s done a lot of things over the last year or so that were directly intended for me and my team to hear, that everybody ran with. I have a way of doing things. Obviously keeping quiet is one of them, not letting things bother me is one of them.”
Chandler concluded by emphasizing his adaptability in weight classes, dismissing McGregor’s weight-related strategies. He also expressed his readiness for the anticipated showdown.
“Ultimately, I’m 50-50 on it, It doesn’t matter. I don’t care whether he wants to fight at 185lbs, 170, 205, whatever it may be. You’ve got to remember, he doesn’t want to fight at 155 because he wants everybody to believe he’s bigger than he is. In his mind, he can’t fight at 170 because I called him out at 170, therefore I’m not doing as I’m told, he’s doing what I said.”
“So, he had to say 185. I’m able to fluctuate my weight, I don’t need to bulk up to make 185; it would be easy and fun to make.”