Constantly reminded of him, Chandler wants McGregor in Sphere

LAS VEGAS – His Worldwide Combat Week journey to “Sin Metropolis” turned out to be for pleasure slightly than a enterprise journey, however Michael Chandler mentioned he’s discovered to be OK with that.

Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) was alleged to battle Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) within the UFC 303 most important occasion at T-Cellular Area in Las Vegas, a battle that has been constructing for 18 months. However McGregor pulled out of the battle with a damaged toe.

McGregor was set to return from a three-year layoff after struggling a damaged leg in July 2021. It was the primary time he has pulled out of a UFC battle, and he’s been raked over the coals by critics for pulling out after he’s been extremely essential of previous opponents or rivals for doing the identical.

The battle would have been the largest of Chandler’s profession, and nearly actually the largest payday.

“I can truthfully say it actually hasn’t been very laborious,” Chandler mentioned of the fixed delays and hypothesis about once they’d battle, adopted by McGregor’s final pullout. “It’s Worldwide Combat Week, and I’ve taken photos and shaken the fingers and met over a thousand followers this weekend, and each single one in all them speaking concerning the flights that they took, the place they got here from, the tickets that they purchased – all of them got here right here to look at me battle Connor.

“So clearly, I’m always reminded of it. However as an athlete, you get actually good at compartmentalizing it, and I don’t assume it has affected me as a lot as most individuals would assume it has. It’s simply the way in which the world goes. That is the way in which life is. You get knocked down, you get let down, and the true measure of a person is how he stands underneath circumstances like this.”

McGregor has mentioned he’d prefer to battle in August or September, and the UFC has a present deliberate for September at The Sphere.

Chandler likes that concept, too, it appears.

“Sphere could be nice,” he mentioned. “It’s 10 weeks away. I’m not a physician, however I do know a pinky toe doesn’t take too lengthy to heal. That may be large. It sounds to me prefer it’s going to be a one-and-done sort of occasion.

“Dana has touted it as the largest occasion in UFC historical past, and it might by no means be carried out (once more), and if you wish to do the numbers that they need to do, it appears as if this battle between myself and Conor would match the invoice. I’m not the one to make these selections, however the UFC is aware of I all the time have my work boots on and I’m able to go tomorrow in the event that they need to go.”

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC 303.