CEO of the UFC Dana White is unconcerned that Michael Chandler will keep waiting for the opportunity to face Conor McGregor.
The fourth quarter of this year was initially intended to see the bout between “The Ultimate Fighter 31” coaches McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC). Due to McGregor’s delay in rejoining the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool, the deadline was extended. Being cleared to compete requires two clean tests and six months of testing.
Dana White Wants Connors Fight Against Michael Chandler No Matter How Long It Takes
After breaking his leg in his UFC 264 trilogy fight loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, Conor McGregor has not competed since. However, he eventually entered the testing pool in early October, kicking off his eagerly awaited return.
This past month in Saudi Arabia, Conor McGregor informed MMA Junkie that he was still in talks to return in April. However, his coach, John Kavanagh of SBG Ireland, said that the homecoming date has now been rescheduled for the summer.
Chandler’s resentment has been simmering beneath the surface while everyone’s attention has been on McGregor. Dana But White maintains that Chandler—who has already missed more than a year of action—is in a position to exercise patience.
Dana White said, in a “Full Send Podcast,” “Jon Jones takes off for f*cking years. Chandler can hang out and wait for f*cking Conor. When you think about Chandler, Chandler was fighting for f*cking Bellator, right? Now Chandler can just sit around and take his time and wait for Conor however long it takes, so these guys are all in good positions where they can wait for the right time, the right fight.”
White also expressed doubts about Chandler winning the fight against McGregor. It’s all on “the timing of when it goes down,” he stated, adding that “we’ll see,” but he did express his composure due to the matchup.
Some have questioned whether McGregor will ever compete again in the UFC due to the many delays. White allayed all of those worries, though, and promised that it would happen in 2024 even though he did not provide any details.
