UFC lightweight Michael Chandler believes he’s the perfect man to welcome Conor McGregor back to the UFC. With McGregor’s proposed return date of summer 2022 just around the corner, Chandler told MMAFighting exactly why he should be the one to take on the sport’s biggest star.
“I want that Conor fight just for the magnitude of the moment. Stepping inside that octagon and doing something really monumental and fighting him in front of all the mixed martial arts eyeballs. I mean eyeballs across the whole entire world. You don’t get a bigger platform than fighting Conor McGregor.
Chandler: I’m the “Perfect Guy” To Welcome McGregor Back to UFC
That’s what I would love to happen, if I don’t get the title shot, of course. But July [or] August would be great for me. I will go out there beat Tony in May, just have a little bit of time to recover, and then go right back in there for a July [or] August fight. The timing works out perfect.”
McGregor put on some serious mass while recovering from the broken leg he sustained fighting Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He has teased a return to competition at welterweight, specifically teasing a championship fight against Kamaru Usman. A trilogy fight with Nate Diaz may be on the cards, or, as McGregor has long threatened, a shot at the lightweight title he once held.
What Conor McGregor really needs, however, is to bounce back from a two-fight skid overall, and a three-fight losing streak at lightweight. Michael Chandler, too, is coming off the back of a two-fight losing streak, so the prospect of a victory for one ailing fighter could be alluring enough for McGregor to make the cut down to 155 once more.
“I think I’m a great guy for Conor. If he comes back and he doesn’t get that title shot, he’s going to have to go through somebody to get that title shot. I think I’m kind of that perfect guy right there, ranked about No. 5. If he comes in and gets a win over me, he definitely gets the title shot. We’ll see.
This is the fight business and it’s a business for a reason. We’ll see how the chips fall. All I know is May 7, I’m going to go out there and put on a great performance, and Conor knows I would love to fight him. He has mentioned that he would love to fight me down the line as well, so we’ll see what happens.”
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