Still holding on. Last week, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White flatly dismissed the idea of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler happening at the historic UFC White House event in June, saying the matchup was “a couple of years ago” and making it clear the promotion was moving on. That comment sent shockwaves through […]
Still holding on.
Last week, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana Whiteflatly dismissed the idea of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler happening at the historic UFC White House event in June, saying the matchup was “a couple of years ago” and making it clear the promotion was moving on. That comment sent shockwaves through the MMA world and seemingly closed the book on a fight Chandler has been chasing since 2023.
After a couple of tweets this week, Chandler has finally reacted to the disappointing news.
“My reaction is we’ll see. We’ll see how this whole thing plays out. Obviously, nobody has any idea what fights are going to be on the White House card,” Chandler told Ariel Helwani today. “Is that 100 percent how it’s going to be? Me and Conor and I are not fighting at the White House? I don’t know.”
“All I know is that I can control what I can control,” Chandler added. “Obviously, it’s not encouraging. It’s not great to hear. But I’ve also heard many things that were not encouraging that turned out to be not true or just flat-out false. So, we just keep on going, man.”
Chandler has been here before. After coaching opposite McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter, the former Bellator champion famously sat out for more than a year waiting for the Irish superstar to return. That patience was rewarded with… nothing. McGregor withdrew from their planned UFC 303 bout due to injury, and the fight never resurfaced.
Despite the uncertainty — and despite the UFC seemingly pivoting away — Chandler remains locked in on one goal: McGregor at the White House.
“I don’t have a Plan B until Plan A is 100% exhausted,” Chandler explained. “That’s kind of where we’re at right now. I’m formulating my blocks and my training and my diet and all that stuff leading up to June right now. That’s the plan — fighting at the White House, fighting Conor at the White House.
“Until that train gets completely derailed — and the only way it’s going to get derailed is him getting announced against somebody else at the White House or me getting announced against somebody at the White House. So, we’ll see.”
For now, Chandler remains in limbo — training, waiting, and hoping history somehow repeats itself in his favor. But with White set to begin official matchmaking for the UFC White House card after UFC 325 on Feb. 1, clarity may finally be coming.
Whether it’s the answer Chandler wants… is another story entirely.
Category: General Sports
