Islam Makhachev thinks that Michael Chandler is making a mistake waiting for Conor McGregor to fight him. The duo was expected to fight late last year following their stint as rival head coaches on last year’s ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.

However, their bout was postponed to this year and has constantly been pushed back since with serious questions around when (and even if) the Irishman will be back. UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev had suggested in a recent interview with ‘MMA Mania’ that Chandler should fight someone else in the meantime, and even if he loses, it would not hurt his chances of fighting McGregor in the future, and in fact, may increase its chances given that the Irishman would look at him as being more beatable.

And Chandler took to Twitter and thanked Makhachev for the advice, and assured the Dagestani that he does in fact sleep well at night despite the uncertainty around his fight with McGregor. ‘Iron’ also claimed that it was all part of a plan and hinted that he might be looking to fight Makhachev soon.  “Thanks for the unsolicited advice @MAKHACHEVMMA – I sleep just fine at night…I have a plan and you’re part of it, champ,” he tweeted.

Ambiguity around Conor McGregor’s comeback persists

Conor McGregor last fought in March 2021. The Irishman broke his leg in his UFC 264 clash against Dustin Poirier that has kept him out of the octagon for nearly three years now. Despite this long break and the clock on the 35-year-old’s career ticking down, there is no clarity around when UFC’s biggest star will make his comeback and fight Chandler.

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UFC boss Dana White said in an interview with Pat McAfee in February that the fans will not see McGregor in the octagon until the last quarter of 2024. This despite McGregor having floated a UFC 300 and 303 booking against ‘Iron’, both of which have been refused by White.

Speculations are rife as to the reasons behind this delay, with theories ranging from the UFC not paying McGregor what he wants, the promotion insisting the Irishman sign another contract extension, to even conjecture that McGregor may be mulling retiring from the sport and try his hand at acting or politics.

What do you think about Chandler’s response to Makhachev?

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