Michael Chandler doubts Conor McGregor fight, ‘Is he training?’

Michael Chandler doubts Conor McGregor fight, ‘Is he training?’

Michael Chandler doubts he’ll get to fight Conor McGregor in December, but he’s ready and raring to go at a moments notice. That’s really the only choice he has if he wants to fight McGregor, as the Irishman has been rather evasive, even though they had already agreed to fight and UFC president Dana White says the fight is still going to happen.

McGregor, however, had been calling out other fighters left and right, putting a cloud over Chandler.

At the recent Anthony Joshua boxing match, McGregor surprised everyone when he said in an interview that his fight with Chandler was on and that it would happen in December. This, despite the fact that he has yet to re-enter the required six months of drug testing protocols before he is allowed back in the Octagon.

“Is he training? I don’t know how much he’s training. We see him on boats more than we see him hitting bags.” – Michael Chandler on Conor McGregor

“That’s definitely one aspect of it, obviously,” Chandler told former UFC champion Daniel Cormier when asked if McGregor’s failure to rejoin the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency testing pool was the reason he put doubt on the December timeframe that McGregor said the fight would happen.

“Is he training? I don’t know how much he’s training. We see him on boats more than we see him hitting bags,” Chandler added, as his reasoning for doubt.

Even though McGregor hasn’t re-entered the testing pool in a timely manner for the December date, it might not be out of the question. Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was allowed an exemption from the testing time requirement when he returned to fight Mark Hunt at UFC 200. 

That might not be the best argument for allowing McGregor an early return though. Lesnar’s win over Hunt was later changed to a no contest result after Lesnar tested positive for clomiphene, a banned substance.

Michael Chandler is ready to fight Conor McGregor in December

Regardless, Chandler told Cormier that he is ready to go today, tomorrow, December, or whenever. He just wants the fight to happen.

“For me, you know I’m ready. I’m staying in shape. If it could happen by the end of the year, that would be phenomenal,” Chandler said.

“But if it spills over into 2024, either way, the most exciting guy in the sport, myself, versus the biggest star in the sport, and the greatest comeback in combat sports history, people are gonna tune in.”