Renato Moicano and others who think Michael Chandler is wasting his time by waiting for Conor McGregor to be prepared to fight don’t deter him.
Next year, a fight between Chandler and McGregor is anticipated inside the UFC Octagon. Before McGregor’s extended absence from the USADA testing pool, they were supposed to fight this year.
The most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter included competition between Chandler and McGregor as coaches, with a bout announcement anticipated at the show’s conclusion. But as of the time of this writing, no prospective UFC show has scheduled the fight.
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Chandler’s final UFC fight, a submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281, occurred almost exactly a year ago. Moicano referred to Chandler as “delusional” in a recent interview on the state of the division and McGregor despite Chandler’s refusal to play.
On a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Chandler responded to Moicano’s comments.
“I get people calling me delusional, ‘Why are you waiting? You’re wasting all these years.’…I believe we get lazy or we get busy, and at 37 years old, I feel better than a lot of 27-year-olds,” Chandler said. “Taking good care of my body and taking good care of my mind even with the wear and tear that I’ve put on my body…I’m not worried about the ‘getting old’ thing, I feel phenomenal, and I have a lot of tread left on these tires.
“If anything, I needed a little bit of rest…so, a little bit of time off isn’t a bad thing. I’m building things outside of fighting and people will be able to see the fruits of my labor when the time comes.”
Since breaking his leg against Poirier at UFC 264, McGregor has not competed. He has suffered a lengthy recovery, but he is adamant that he is serious about making a comeback in the UFC.
With two victories in the Octagon, Moicano might face Chandler or another elite lightweight fighter. Due to an injury, he hasn’t competed since defeating Brad Riddell at UFC 281.
Chandler isn’t giving up on the high-profile fight any time soon, even as the wait for McGregor’s return goes on. Even after nearly a full year of promotion, the UFC is still working diligently to attempt to make the fight happen.
