Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler still isn’t official.
The longer the wait, the less interesting the fight feels. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, or you’re out of sight and out of mind. Luckily for both men, McGregor and Chandler have managed to stay visible through movie roles and on-screen promos since they coached against each other on The Ultimate Fighter 31 (TUF) last year.
It’s been stated by both recently that their summer target date is a go — without the aforementioned official announcement. However, time waits for no one, especially in MMA. McGregor, 35, last fought in July 2021 and was forced to heal a badly broken leg before he landed his role in the new Road House movie. With all the factors considered, former Strikeforce champion and UFC lightweight contender Josh Thomson doesn’t see the potential matchup delivering as greatly as it could have.
“When Nate Diaz did it (beat McGregor), it was special,” Thomson said on his Weighing In podcast. “We thought Conor was the man, and Nate did it coming in on what? Two weeks’ notice? That was amazing, and it was the way the fight played out.
“It was amazing because he got his ass kicked for the first round. He started coming on, and then in the second round, everything happened. But, if Chandler did it (beat McGregor), I don’t even think we would be impressed. You beat a dude that’s been doing movies and drinking and partying for three years.”
A win for Chandler would be his first since he knocked out Tony Ferguson with a devastating second-round front kick at UFC 274 in May 2022. The delay in the McGregor fight has kept the former three-time Bellator champion out far longer than he’d have hoped. “Not in it for a long time, but a good time,” Chandler’s last fight was an instant classic vs. Dustin Poirier in November 2022. He lost via a third-round rear-naked choke.
McGregor also last fought Poirier — back-to-back — and hasn’t won even longer than his expected return opponent. “The Notorious” needed 40 seconds to finish Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone with strikes in January 2020, but aside from that, his last lightweight victory was his November 2016 title win against Eddie Alvarez.
Ultimately, Thomson knows the fight is fun. It just doesn’t need to be made up as something it won’t be.
“Why are we giving credence to the victory over someone who is definitely been removed completely from training?” Thomson asked. “[McGregor’s] not really training the way he was when he was fighting Dustin, or when he was fighting Khabib [Nurmagomedov], or when he was fighting Eddie Alvarez and Jose Aldo. So why are we putting so much on this fight?
“I think it’s going to be a great fight. I think it’s going to be a fun fight. Someone’s is getting knocked the f*** out. I’m not discrediting the fight at all in terms of the level of entertainment, but I don’t want to give it too much love and be like, ‘This is a high-level fight.’ No, it’s not. It’s not a high-level fight. We’re not getting the best Conor McGregor.”
TOP STORIES
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Expectation. Renato Moicano believes Michael Chandler is tailor-made opponent to let Conor McGregor ‘shine’
VIDEO STEW
The MMA Hour.
UFC Vegas 90 Promo.
Allen’s RNCs.
Free fight.
RIZIN 46 Trailer.
PFL Fight Week.
Wild one.
Gaethje’s Road to UFC 300.
Reaction compilation.
Almighty Cooking Blighty.
LISTEN UP
On To the Next One. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alex K. Lee discuss matches to make after UFC Atlantic City.
MORNING MUSIC
Drink up.
Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Glove debate.
@rizin_PR gloves are the best gloves I ever put on.
— Juan Archuleta (@jarchmma) April 1, 2024
Fresh.
Islam Makhachev has shaved his head
IG / @MAKHACHEVMMA #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/8ZeoowESHF
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 1, 2024
Noted.
Sugtember
— Sean O’Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) April 1, 2024
Fedor looking slim.
Legendary champion #PFL pic.twitter.com/vKOAihEoLI
— Kana Watanabe×渡辺華奈 (@kanawatanabe821) April 1, 2024
Tune up…?
Hey @alexvolkanovski if you need a tune-up fight for Perth, I’d be happy to take the challenge
— Dan Ige (@Dynamitedan808) April 1, 2024
New adventure.
Diamond back.
Challenge accepted.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m not sure how he looks in person, but going from that photo, I can’t help but imagine a svelte Fedor at light heavyweight in his prime. Yeesh.
Thanks for reading!
EXIT POLL
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