Should Michael Chandler wait for Conor McGregor to return? This was the question that the entire world of combat sports was wondering about after the ‘Mystic Mac’ pulled out of their fight scheduled for UFC 303. Needless to say, this sudden withdrawal sent a shockwave through the fighting verse, with Chandler left completely stressed. And now during an EssentiallySports exclusive interview with the former mixed martial artist, Matt Brown, he disclosed some interesting points. Well, he did have a warning call for ‘Iron’.

McGregor being a striker, relies quite a bit on his feet, and as such, was left with no option. In such scenarios, a broken pinky toe directly translates to a lost bout. Despite the cancelation of the bout, Chandler and McGregor kept the fire of their rivalry alive by engaging in heated social media battles. However, left without a fight, ‘Iron’ started losing patience and took up a fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. 

 ‘The Immortal’ took the liberty of answering the question of McGregor’s return. But what about Chandler? Should he wait for McGregor to heal up and make a comeback? Well, Brown believes that he shouldn’t. “I think Chandler absolutely 1000%, keep fighting. Don’t wait.”

‘Iron’ has just touched the age of 38 last April, and the fighting community knows pretty well that the body becomes weaker and slower. The risk of injuries gets significantly high and that renders the fighters who once dominated the MMA cage, inactive. ‘The Immortal’ continued, “I truly believe that Chandler’s gonna regret that one day. I do believe, I don’t know Chandler personally, but he comes across to me, personality wise, like a competitor who wants to go in there and fight.” 

It did seem like Brown didn’t want Chandler to regret the chances that he missed later on in his life. This Brown further indulged in the ES exclusive interview, “And I think one day, he’s gonna have that urge and he’s not gonna have the ability to when he’s 50, 60, 70 years old, whatever. He’s gonna look back and he’s gonna say, ‘Damn, I wasted all those years waiting for a paycheck for someone that didn’t actually matter to me.” ‘Iron’ still has the potential to compete against well-known fighters and rise victorious over them. After all, he is the one who stands at #6 in the UFC lightweight rankings, and further looking forward to the option to fight for the championship title.

Chandler has waited long enough. But when it comes to McGregor, Brown seems to be full of doubts regarding the Dubliner’s return.

What does Matt Brown think of Conor McGregor’s return to fight Michael Chandler?

Of course, this wasn’t the first time Matt Brown reacted to the matchup between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. Can you guess what ‘The Immortal’ said when he got to know about McGregor’s withdrawal from the fight? Let me give you a hint. It actually goes in line with a prediction, as if he already knew it was going to happen. 

Brown claimed, “I’ve never believed he’s gonna come back.” He pointed back at the time when McGregor injured himself while fighting Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. “I called it there, saying he’s never fighting again. I don’t think that it’s out of the question that he fights again, I don’t believe that he will.”

But hope is a powerful thing, which can move men to great extents. Although Brown claimed that ‘The Notorious’ would never return, the world of mixed martial arts still lies in wait to witness the return of the Irish superstar. And as far as McGregor is concerned, Chandler will indeed be the first fighter the Irishman will have to face once he returns. After all, he did claim that he would be McGregor’s next opponent, but ‘The Notorious’ wasn’t his next opponent. The world of mixed martial arts still waits for ‘Iron’ and ‘Mystic Mac’ to conclude TUF 31.

What are your thoughts on this ES exclusive interview? You can also catch the full episode and more with ES Fancast.