What happens when hype meets harsh reality? At UFC 314, Michael Chandler found out the hard way. For months, fans waited for Chandler vs. Conor McGregor. Trash talk flew, TUF promos aired, and ‘Iron’ Mike stood at the edge of his career’s biggest payday. But when that fight stalled, Chandler accepted a different challenge—one that many thought he’d breeze through. Enter Paddy Pimblett.

But the result? Humiliation. ‘The Baddy’ walked through Chandler and finished him on the ground with vicious elbows, without even looking remotely in trouble at any point in the fight. And now, someone from ‘Iron’s own team has revealed that the loss had a lot more going on behind the scenes than the fans might be aware of!

Michael Chandler gets a brutal reality check from Jared Gordon

Enter Jared Gordon, the man who made headlines after his unanimous decision loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 282. Many felt as though Gordon had done enough to win the fight, but the Liverpool native got the nod from the judges instead.

In a recent interview with ‘Inside Fighting’, Gordon didn’t hold back his thoughts on what went wrong for Chandler at UFC 314. The fight, billed as a battle between rising star and veteran warrior, ended with Chandler being handed his third straight defeat. And now, Gordon’s blunt words are raising eyebrows.

“I mean, so I’m teammates with Mike,” Gordon began, his tone careful but honest. “So I could just see how he was training…” He tried to cushion the blow, saying he wasn’t out to “bad mouth” Chandler. But the reality of what he saw in training left him feeling uneasy. Why?

He further shared, “I saw all the way he was training, who he was training with, and I was like, I don’t think he’s gonna do it. And, like, Mike’s my buddy, but, like, I just that’s just how I felt going into it.”

Coming from a teammate, they’re not just an outside observation—they’re the kind of insight that speaks louder than fight footage. And UFC pros were just as stunned as the fans. Dustin Poirier, who sat on the post-fight panel after Chandler’s loss, didn’t mince words as he stated, “We saw him lose again tonight, not just lose but get rolled by a young guy. That was a beating.”

That stings. Especially when it’s coming from a fellow warrior like Poirier, who further shared, “He didn’t look sturdy on his feet. He looked like he was slowing down, and we don’t ever see him slow down in the second round. He looks great and is in phenomenal shape, but these years catch up to you.”

Still, Conor McGregor, as unpredictable as ever, recently cracked open the door again and gave Chandler something to hold on to. After a long silence, he recently dropped a tweet that sent fans into a frenzy—he wants a stadium event if he’s to return. All eyes turned to Chandler, who fired back with a cryptic post on X that read, “Unfinished Business Loading…” Sounds hopeful, right?

Now, with McGregor teasing a return yet again and Michael Chandler desperately holding onto hope, the question is—will the UFC bite? Let’s not forget—the Irishman hasn’t fought since 2021, when he snapped his leg in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier. He hasn’t even won a fight since 2020. Chandler, on the other hand, hasn’t had his hand raised since UFC 274, where he knocked out Tony Ferguson, and is riding a 3-fight losing streak after the disappointing outing against Paddy Pimblett.

But while Conor McGregor fans continue to dream of stadium lights and comeback chaos, not everyone is buying the hype as a UFC veteran recently revealed his thoughts on the matchup that, according to him, shouldn’t even be discussed anymore!

Chael Sonnen shuts down McGregor’s attempts at building up hype for a Chandler fight again

Chael Sonnen, never one to mince words, has flipped the script on the dream matchup. According to him, McGregor and Chandler have “no business” fighting each other anymore. Why?

The UFC veteran and analyst explained on a video on his YouTube channel, “[Conor says] ‘I will come back, I have unfinished business with Michael Chandler’ — let me stop you right there. You and Chandler don’t have any business.”

For Sonnen, it’s not just about fight records or pay-per-view sales. It’s about legitimacy. He didn’t hold back, either. He reminded everyone of The Ultimate Fighter 31 flop, where McGregor and Chandler coached opposite each other. That season was supposed to spark fire. Instead? “The ratings were so bad,” Sonnen said, “they had to bring in Daniel Cormier and I to try and revive the whole story.”

And then came the dagger. Sonnen fired off with, “You want to get a stadium against the same opponent that you had a contract for and didn’t show up. I know Michael Chandler, I am friends with Michael Chandler, you have no business with Michael Chandler.”

So, where does that leave us? This isn’t just about Conor McGregor anymore. It’s about Chandler’s legacy. And unless something changes soon, “Unfinished Business” might turn into ‘The Fight That Never Was.’ So, what’s next for ‘Iron Mike’? A miracle or a curtain call? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!