Michael Chandler is still waiting for the UFC to confirm his fight against Conor McGregor, and he is now inactive for more than a year. Yet, “Iron” views this break positively, noting it is just preparing him “for a huge, huge stage in 2024.”
Chandler is expected to welcome McGregor back into the cage when he returns. “The Notorious” hasn’t fought since his loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, while Chandler is now more than a year inactive while waiting for McGregor’s return. The two were expected to fight after serving as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter Season 31, but the bout didn’t happen. Nonetheless, the Irish fighter announced that he would face Chandler in June. Then, recently, McGregor claimed he sealed a UFC 300 fight, albeit he didn’t mention Chandler’s name in his post.
With all this uncertainty and UFC CEO Dana White denying McGregor’s claim, Chandler is left in limbo. Yet, for the fighter, the wait is actually doing him good.
“For every moment of frustration, there was a moment of realization,” Chandler told MMA Fighting. “Having a year off now, letting my body heal, not taking damage. Spending time with my family, enjoying the holidays. I’ve missed so many holidays, so many birthday parties, so many things and big events. Being able to pick up my son from school and drop him off, and going to sporting events and all these different things, plus still get my fix of training and becoming a better fighter and athlete, but also taking stock in being a better father and a better husband. Being there, being around. I’ll look back on this year as being the best year of my life thus far.”
Needless to say, a year without a fight means a year without earnings. Nonetheless, Chandler believes the wait and the preparations he’s doing while waiting for McGregor will bear fruit in the end.
“Yeah, we didn’t win any fights, we didn’t get our hand raised,” said Chandler. “Heck, we didn’t even make any fight paychecks. But I’ve been blessed with great people around me and a great passion for life. This last year has exacerbated that. This hiatus has been well-needed, truthfully. It’s just going to set me up for a huge, huge stage in 2024.”
