After two years of waiting, Michael Chandler has given up on the Conor McGregor fight, at least temporarily! The Missouri native has clarified that he is indeed the Irishman’s next fight, even if ‘Mac’ is not his next fight. For now, ‘Iron’ is set to face  Charles Oliveira again, this time on the UFC 309 co-main event in November.

In related news, champion Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s (former) and Islam Makhachev‘s coach, Javier Mendez, has said that if Michael Chandler could beat ‘Do Bronx’ (and if Makhachev beats official #1 contender Arman Tsarukyan), Chandler could very well fight for the title.

And Chandler, of course, has immediately accepted the challenge. In a recent interview, the former Bellator champion felt that since Makhachev has made clear that he isn’t interested in rematches, he is the clear front-runner to face Makhachev. After all, the Dagestani champ has already beaten most top-ranked guys at 155. And Chandler feels that he is the one opponent that Makhachev would actually be excited to face.

“It [Makhachev vs. Chandler] would be a big fight…and hats off to Javier Mendez, he’s an awesome dude. I have watched him from far and been a fan of his for years. I think, you know, Islam doesn’t want to fight some of these guys that he has fought before. He wants new blood, fresh blood, a new guy to get him excited to train every single day to go fight. And I am that guy,” Chandler said.

However, first, he must get through the finisher par excellence Charles Oliveira, who has already beaten him at their UFC 262 clash. But, with the added incentive of a title shot on the horizon, Chandler is more than motivated and driven to defeat ‘Do Bronx.’

“So I gotta take care of business and… focus on November 16th [for the fight against Oliveira] because this is the greatest opportunity of my lifetime… I believe I fight and beat Islam in early 2025,” he added. In addition, ‘Iron’ very strongly feels that he has what it takes to beat Makhachev, simply because of how they stack up stylistically.

Michael Chandler explains what makes him a dangerous opponent for Makhachev

Everybody knows what Islam Makhachev brings to the table- an impeccable ground game, combined with striking that is getting better and more dynamic with every fight. But Chandler thinks that the Dagestani’s world-championship-winning Combat Sambo is enough to get through his D-1 American wrestling.

“I think I’ve got a great style to beat Islam… Good old-fashioned, passionate, hardworking Missouri Division-1 wrestling beats Dagestani Sambo every day of the week. I got dynamite in my hands, I got cardio for days, I can push the pace. I believe I beat Islam… Who doesn’t want to see that fight?” Chandler declared confidently.

Not to mention Chandler feels that the offensive pressure he brings, combined with his amazing cardio and stamina would make for a cracking, electrifying matchup which fans will salivate over. But, even if he loses to Makhachev, or even to Oliveira in his next fight, Chandler will still be in a great position professionally. After all, ‘Iron’ has the McGregor fight (and the biggest paycheck of his career) to fall back on, possibly sometime in mid-2025, even if everything goes horribly wrong for him in his next fight. What are your thoughts on Michael Chandler’s comments?