Once upon a time, the path ahead was clear. Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor were scheduled to face each other. In the time leading up to their bout, they even served as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, Season 31. Those days are, however, long gone. Not only did ‘The Notorious’ never make a return, but ‘Iron’ moved on to fighting Charles Oliveira and Paddy Pimblett. Unfortunately, he lost both those fights, and the conversation circled back to McGregor. What’s really ahead for Chandler?

“The funny thing about being where I’m right now is obviously, my eyes are set on the White House,” the fighter said on the UFC 324: Morning Weigh-In Show, when asked about what’s next. “Who’s the opponent? Dana [White] says it’s not Conor. So, we will see who it is.”

That is not to say that Chandler doesn’t want to fight McGregor. But it just seems impossible at this point in time, even if the Irishman keeps teasing a UFC return.

“Obviously, that’s the fight [vs. Conor McGregor] to me that makes the most sense. The most obvious solution should be the solution. But if it’s not him, I want big fights. I want to get in there and fight a top guy. I don’t think my last performance was indicative of my actual skillset and my fire and passion for the sport.”

Chandler’s stance is barely shocking. After all, even during his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday, he said something similar. He is being patient with the White House card, and though he knows that a McGregor fight might not be on the table, ‘Iron’ hopes he gets a big fight.

And though he didn’t have clarity on his next fight, he told Helwani he would attend UFC 324 on Saturday in Las Vegas and have a face-to-face conversation with White about what’s next. An update on this conversation is yet to emerge.

Earlier this month, even White confirmed that McGregor was on his mind for the White House card. He believes the ship has sailed.

“No, that was a couple of years ago,” White explained. “No.”

But here’s an issue: To book ‘Iron’ against a top lightweight would be quite challenging for the UFC. In the last few years, Chandler hasn’t been on the positive side of the results. After his bout against McGregor fell off in June 2024, Chandler fought Charles Oliveira and Paddy Pimblett at UFC 309 and UFC 314, respectively. And following those fights, he now stands on a three-fight losing streak.

While he is not sure about his next potential opponents, Chandler has noted some names that could be something the UFC would be interested in booking for him.

Michael Chandler has his eyes set on the next few UFC lightweight fights

The lightweight division is now almost booked against each other. Except for Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan, the rest of the top 6 have fights coming up. After Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje’s clash this weekend, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira will face each other for the BMF title at a stacked UFC 326 match card. Also, on the undercard of UFC 325, Dan Hooker is scheduled to fight Benoit Saint-Denis.

“We will see what happens in March. Max vs. Charles. Arman is out there just talking about people. But these are not fights that I necessarily deserve. Whatever comes my way comes my way. But hopefully Conor at the White House,” Chandler noted during the UFC 324 weigh-in show discussion, while wondering if the options available for him to fight.

With that said, the UFC might book him against a rising contender like Mauricio Ruffy or Rafael Fiziev, given how his UFC career has gone so far. Ilia Topuria’s return to the Octagon would further diminish his chances of fighting a top contender.

Plus, at 39-years-old, retirement seems to be on the horizon for him, though the fighter hasn’t leaned into such discussions yet.

Although Chandler wants to fight Conor McGregor, he is also interested in exploring other lucrative options. He is ready to face whoever the UFC decides to book him against. Now, with that being said, the question remains the same: Who could Chandler fight next? Share your thoughts in the comments below!